Black Fruit Bat (species: Pteropus alecto) in ALA: LIRS and surrounds using records to Oct. 2021 (Lizard Island Field Guide)
ALA: LIRS and surrounds using records to Oct. 2021 > Animalia > Vertebrata > Mammalia > Chiroptera > Pteropodidae > Pteropus > Pteropus alecto (gallery)
Pteropus alecto
Black Fruit Bat


©Lyle Vail: A Black Fruit Bat named Fruity, raised from a pup at LIRS in the 1990s.

©Justin Welbergen: Pteropus alecto

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Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Chiroptera
Family Pteropodidae
Genus Pteropus
Species Pteropus alecto
Status least concern

Show in taxonomy
Lizard Island Field Guide
Lizard Island area: all known taxa

Colours

         

Distinguishing features

Distinguishing features still need to be specified.

Size

  • Size data has not been obtained.

Wingspan

  • Up to 100 cm

Synonyms

Distribution


©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution

Distribution and habitat preferences

Black flying-foxes tend to roost in trees rather than in caves. Favoured roosting environments include mangroves, paperbark swamps, and rainforest habitats.

Behaviour

Black flying-foxes spend the day resting in colonies that can include many thousands of bats. They feed on pollen and nectar from native trees.

Web resources

References

  • Gates, J. and P. Hoyle (1990). Lore from the Lizard: Lizard Island Research Station, Australian Natural History, 23(4): 314-321. LIRS catalog number 402.
  • Reef, R., I.C. Feller and C.E. Lovelock (2014). Mammalian herbivores in Australia transport nutrients from terrestrial to marine ecosystems via mangroves, Journal of Tropical Ecology, doi:10.1017/S0266467414000054: 1-10. LIRS catalog number 1762.