Indian Flying-fox

Indian Flying-fox
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Chiroptera Family: Pteropodidae Genus: Pteropus Species: P. giganteus
Binomial name
Pteropus giganteus (Brünnich, 1782)

feeding on Kapok (Ceiba pentandra) at night in Kolkata, West Bengal, India.

The Indian Flying-fox (Pteropus giganteus) is a species of bat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. The Greater Indian Fruit Bat lives in mainly forests. It is a very large bat with a wing span of between 1.2 and 1.5 meters (4-5 feet). It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits such as mangoes and bananas and nectar. This bat is gregarious and lives in colonies which can number a few hundred. Their offspring has no specific name besides 'young'. They reproduce sexually and give live birth. They have one to two young.

References

• Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. Pteropus giganteus. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 30 July 2007.

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