Black Fruit Bat (species: Pteropus alecto) in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
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
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Class Mammalia
Order Chiroptera
Family Pteropodidae
Genus Pteropus
Species Pteropus alecto
Status least concern

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.