The Zoo is
CLOSED
for the winter season.
Visit us when we
reopen in April 2010.

Indian Flying Fox Fruit Bat

Scientific Name:	Pteropus giganteus
Range:	India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Myanmar
Habitat:	Tropical and subtropical forests and swamps
Natural Diet:	Variety of ripe fruit, flowers, and nectar
Zoo Diet:	Fruit, vegetables, and canned primate diet
Physical Characteristics:	Flying foxes have coarse brown-reddish fur. Their length is about nine inches; they weigh 2.5-3 pounds. Their head resembles a fox, hence the name “flying fox.” Their wingspan may be up to four or five feet.
Behavior:	Flying foxes roost during the day in large groups up in the trees. When they roost, they hang by their feet. They spend most of the day sleeping, with their wings wrapped around themselves. Flying foxes feed at night.
Reproduction:	A single young is born after a gestation period of 140-150 days. It clings to its mother for about two months; by then it is nearly full size.
Notes:	There are 67 species of flying foxes, and the Indian Flying Fox is one of the largest. Flying foxes do not use echolocation; only the smaller bats, who mainly eat insects, use it. Indian flying foxes can live up to 30 years.