Little red flying-fox
Pteropus scapulatusLike Australia's other flying-foxes, the little red flying-fox makes plenty of noise at night. A nocturnal feeder, it can be heard shrieking, squabbling over food or simply flying by, silent but for the beat of its wings.
Little red flying-foxes have some interesting differences from Australia's other flying-fox species. They breed at different times of year, and roost closer together than other flying-foxes. A single bat is only 20cm long and weighs just 300-600g, but large branches can break under the combined weight of many bats. A camp of red flying-foxes can number more than one hundred thousand bats.
Using its jointed thumbs to climb, the little red flying-fox will clamber about trees while roosting or feeding. A common fruit bat with a wide distribution, it will travel to dry inland areas to search for eucalypt blossoms. If they can't find these blossoms, little red flying-foxes may raid fruit orchards, much to the irritation of farmers.
Little red flying-foxes are found in northern and eastern Australia including Queensland, Northern Territory, Western Australia, New South Wales and Victoria. Common in rainforest and sclerophyll forests, they prefer to roost near the ground.
Last updated: 25 August 2006
