Greater flying fox, Malayan flying fox, Malaysian flying fox, Large fruit bat, Kalang or Kalong, Kalang, Kalong
The Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is a southeast Asian species of megabat. Despite its scientific name, it feeds exclusively on fruits, nectar, and flowers, like the other flying foxes of the genus Pteropus. It is noted for being one of the largest bats. As with nearly all other Old World fruit bats, it lacks the ability to echolocate but compensates for it with well-developed eyesight.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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HerbivoreA herbivore is an animal anatomically and physiologically adapted to eating plant material, for example, foliage, for the main component of its die...
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FrugivoreA frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts, and seeds. Approx...
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NectarivoreIn zoology, a nectarivore is an animal that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of the sugar-...
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PalynivoreIn zoology, a palynivore is an herbivorous animal that selectively eats the nutrient-rich pollen produced by angiosperms and gymnosperms. Most true...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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ZoochoryZoochory animals are those that can disperse plant seeds in several ways. Seeds can be transported on the outside of vertebrate animals (mostly mam...
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PollinatorA pollinator is an animal that moves pollen from the male anther of a flower to the female stigma of a flower. This helps to bring about fertilizat...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
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TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Dominance hierarchyA dominance hierarchy (formerly and colloquially called a pecking order) is a type of social hierarchy that arises when members of animal social gr...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withLarge flying foxes have long and woolly hair, which is shorter and more erect on the upper back. The color and texture of the coat differ between sexes and age classes. Males tend to have slightly stiffer and thicker coats than females. Immature individuals are almost all dull gray-brown. Young individuals have a dark-colored mantle that becomes lighter in males when they mature. Hairs on their head range in color from mahogany-red and orange-ochreous to blackish. The ventral areas are brown or blackish, tinged with chocolate, gray, or silver. The mantle can vary from pale dirty-buff to orange-yellow, while the chest is usually dark-golden brown or dark russet. Their wings are short and somewhat rounded at the tips. This allows them to fly slowly but with great maneuverability. The wing membranes are only haired near the body.
Large flying foxes are found in Southeast Asia. They range from the Malay Peninsula to the Philippines in the east and the Indonesian Archipelago of Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Timor in the south. These flying foxes inhabit the primary forest, mangrove forest, coconut groves, mixed fruit orchards, and a number of other habitats. During the day, trees in mangrove forests and coconut groves may be used as roosts. In Borneo, they inhabit the coastal areas but move to nearby islands to feed on fruit.
Large flying foxes are very social creatures that roost in the thousands. One colony even was recorded numbering around 2,000 individuals and colonies of 10,000-20,000 have also been reported. They are nocturnal and may fly up to 50 km (31 mi) to their feeding grounds in one night. During the flight, bats are not vocal. Upon arrival at feeding grounds, large flocks form family or feeding groups. They may circle a fruit tree before landing and usually land on the tips of branches in an upright position, then fall into a head-down position from which they feed. Feeding aggregations tend to be very noisy. Large flying foxes are territorial and they demonstrate it by growling and the spreading of wings. During antagonistic behavior, individuals maintain spacing with wrists/thumbs sparring, bites, and loud vocalizations. When moving to a suitable resting place after landing, an individual may fight with conspecifics along the way. When roosting the flying fox is positioned upside down with its wings wrapped up and when it gets too warm, the bat fans itself with its wings. Roosting bats are usually restless until mid-morning.
Large flying foxes are herbivorous (frugivorous, nectarivorous, polynivorous) animals. They feed on flowers, nectar, and fruit. When all three food items are available, flowers and nectar are preferred. They also consume pollen, nectar, and flower of coconut and durian trees, as well as the fruits of rambutan, fig, and langsat trees. Flying foxes will also eat mangoes and bananas.
Large flying foxes are polygynous. Males protect a small harem and mate with around ten females. The breeding season varies locally and females give birth to a single pup each year. The gestation period lasts around 140-190 days. For the first days after giving birth, the mothers carry their young but leave them at the roost when they go on their foraging trips. The young are usually weaned by two to three months. Both males and females in this species become reproductively mature at 2 years of age.
The main threats to Large flying foxes are hunting and the loss of habitat. These bats are hunted for food and for bushmeat contributing to their decline. In some areas, farmers consider them pests as they sometimes feed on their orchards. This species also suffers from the loss of lowland forest throughout much of its range.
The IUCN Red List and other sources don’t provide the number of the Large flying fox total population size. However, there are estimated populations of the species in the following areas: Subic Bay (Luzon) - 20,000 individuals; Mindoro (Philippines) - 52,000 individuals; Thailand - 3,000 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Near Threatened (NT) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Due to their diet, Large flying foxes are important seed dispersers and pollinators of forest trees. They benefit the local ecosystem and contribute to the regeneration of native forests.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...