Grey-headed fruit bat

Grey-headed fruit bat

Scientific name: Pteropus poliocephalus
Habitat and distribution area: forests, groves, orchards and urban areas in Australia.
Situation in the wild: Vulnerable
The Jerusalem Zoo: Breeding group
The Grey-headed bruit bat (Flying-fox) is the largest of the Australian fruit bats. It is recognizable by its grey head and a reddish yellow neck, chest and shoulders. The rest of its body is covered with dark brown fur. The species forages on a wide variety of flowering plants and native and introduced fruits. The Grey-headed Flying-fox is found along the west coast of Australia, ranging from Bundaberg in Queensland to Melbourne and as far west as Warrnambool on the far west Victorian coast. The range extends from the coast inland to the western slopes of New South Wales. There have also been recent reports of the Grey-headed Flying-fox in South Australia. The Grey-headed Flying-fox is an integral part of the Australian World Heritage values of both the Greater Blue Mountains (GBM) and Central Western Rainforest Reserves (Australia) (CERRA) World Heritage Areas. It is present in at least three of the eight conservation reserves that constitute the GBM World Heritage Area and at least seven of the approximately fifty conservation reserves that comprise the CERRA World Heritage Area. In addition to its inherent value as an element of the native fauna of the two properties, the Grey-headed Flying-fox is also important for the propagation and ongoing evolution of flora that are part of the World Heritage values of these areas. It is and important pollinator and seed disperser of native trees, foraging on the nectar and pollen of native trees, in particular Eucalyptus, Melalecuca and Banksia, and on the fruits of rainforest trees and vines. The Grey-headed Flying-fox was included in the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) list of threatened species as Vulnerable on 4 December 2001. It is a CITES II listed animal.The species is eligible to be listed as nationally threatened because it has suffered significant decline in numbers. In 1989 the numbers of grey headed flying foxes was estimated to be 566,000 animals in NSW alone. Ten years later, the population is estimated to be less than 400,000 animals nationally. This represents a decline of approximately 30 per cent in the national population of the grey headed flying fox. The purpose of listing the grey headed flying fox under the EPBC Act is to recognize that the long term survival of the species is under threat, prevent its further decline, and assist community efforts toward the recovery of the species. The Australian Government Minister for the Environment and Heritage decided to list the Grey-headed Flying-fox as a threatened species in the Vulnerable category after considering advice from the Threatened Species Scientific Committee (TSSC), an independent committee of scientists with relevant expertise, whose role is to advise the Minister on the conservation status of native species and ecological communities. In formulating its advice on the grey headed flying fox, the TSSC also considered input from other recognized experts.
(From the Australian Government – Department of Environment and Heritage)

So who are the bats?
A very good question! Bats are mammals! In the past, bats were considered to the relatives of insectivores, or the relatives of the rodents. In 2001, were published in the leading journal Nature Science and Nature (Nature) Two studies examined the proximity of the mammalian groups by genetic means. Both studies concluded that the bats are actually the relatives of horses and whales and primates. Bats are the only mammals capable of active flight. Bats' wings were formed by a membrane linking the fingers except for the thumb, which remains free. The membrane is connected to the hind legs and tail in order to increase the surface area. The bats are divided into two groups: fruit bats (Megachiroptera - big bats) and insect bats (Microchiroptera - small bats). The two groups differ in size, diet, senses and lifestyle.
Fruit bats are relatively large, the largest species have a wing span of nearly two meters. Members of the Fruit bats occur in Africa, Asia and Australia and they feed on various fruits, and several species feed on the nectar of flowers and pollen. Previously, it was argued that bats had become serious agricultural pests, because of their affection for fruit, so they were hunted and exterminated in many countries. We now know that they feed mainly on very ripe fruit, and do not touch fruit that is not yet fully ripe. today as these plantations are harvested and sold in markets. Bats are extremely important for the preservation of forests. They help to distribute seeds and pollen.
Despite being active at night, they use their highly developed sense of sight to navigate.
Insects bats are much smaller than fruit bats. The smallest species weighs about 1.5 to 2 grams and is also the smallest mammal species. Distribution of Insect bats, which includes hundreds of species, is much broader than that of fruit bats and occurs in all continents (except Antarctica). The main food is insects, although some species have adapted to eating different foods such as fish, frogs, nectar, fruit, small mammals and even blood. Insect bats too, like fruit bats are nocturnal, but their locomotion is not based on vision (even though they are not blind!). They use the echolocation mechanism to capture their This mechanism enable bats to estimate the size of objects, their location, their speed relative to that of the bat, and even the texture of objects. There is still much to learn about the exciting life of bats. For example, fruit bats have been documented in helping one another . Females have helped one another during birth. In Vampire bats (do not worry, they live only in Central and South America) there is documentation of a food sharing. If you want to see bats here at the Zoo – you are invited to see the Grey-headed fruit bats at the Australian yard.

(Photo: Adi Phillipsborn)