| Indian Flying-fox | |
|---|---|
| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Pteropodidae |
| Genus: | Pteropus |
| Species: | P. giganteus |
| Binomial name | |
| Pteropus giganteus (Brünnich, 1782) |
|
| Indian Flying Fox range | |
The Indian Flying-fox (Pteropus giganteus) is a species of megabat in the Pteropodidae family. It is found in Bangladesh, China, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Also known as the Greater Indian Fruit Bat, it 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. The Indian Flying-Fox lives in tropical forests and swamps, where there is a large body of water nearby. [1]