Indian Flying Fox
Pteropus mediusAlso known as Greater Indian Fruit Bat, Indian Fruit Bat, Giant Indian Fruit Bat
Indian flying foxes are among the world's largest bats, gathering in massive, noisy roosts in the canopies of mature trees like banyans and tamarinds. These highly social mammals spend their days grooming, fanning themselves with their wings, and squabbling over prime branches before taking flight at dusk in spectacular streams to forage. Their extensive nightly travels make them critical pollinators and seed dispersers across the forests and orchards of the Indian subcontinent.
- diet
- Ripe fruits, nectar, flowers, and pollen
- family
- Pteropodidae
- threats
- Habitat loss, hunting for meat and traditional medicine, and persecution by fruit farmers
- life Span
- 15 to 30 years in the wild
NT
Can carry zoonotic viruses like Nipah; observe roosts from a distance and never handle live or dead bats.
Can transmit Nipah virus and other zoonotic pathogens through saliva, urine, or scratches, which can cause severe encephalitis in humans.
Never touch or rescue a grounded bat; contact local wildlife authorities if an animal appears injured.Classified as Near Threatened due to habitat destruction, hunting, and retaliatory culling by orchard owners.
Keep noise levels low when near roosting trees to avoid causing stressful mass-flushing events.- Sunset Watching: Position yourself near a known roost tree at dusk to watch the spectacular flyout as thousands take flight.
- Listen for Roosts: Locate their daytime camps by listening for loud, chattering vocalizations and flapping wings high in the canopy.
- Keep Your Distance: Avoid walking directly under active roosts to prevent contact with falling guano or urine.