Indian Flying Fox

About this species

Size

Body length 15.5–22cm

Weight

0.6–1.6kg

Diet

Ripe fruit such as mangoes, guavas and figs; also flowers, nectar, seed pods, bark and twigs

Habitat

Colonies roosting on open tree branches, often in towns and temple grounds

Range

Indian subcontinent

Litter size

1–2 pups

Gestation

140–150 days

The Indian flying fox, or greater Indian fruit bat, is India's largest bat and one of the largest in the world. It has a black back lightly streaked with grey, a pale yellow-brown mantle, a brown head and dark brownish underparts, with large eyes, simple ears and no tail. Body mass is 0.6–1.6 kg, the wingspan 1.2–1.5 m and the body length 15.5–22 cm, and males are generally larger than females (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found across the Indian subcontinent, including Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It eats ripe fruit, such as mangoes, guavas and figs, as well as flowers, nectar, seed pods, bark and twigs, and seeds passing through it help spread many plants. It roosts in large, long-lived colonies on open branches, especially in towns and temple grounds. Breeding is annual, with one or two pups after 140–150 days (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)