Spectacled flying fox

Glasses flying fox ( Pteropus conspicillatus )

The glasses flying fox ( Pteropus conspicillatus ) is an endemic species in northern Australia from the family of fruit bats ( Pteropodidae ).

Features

Glasses flying foxes are distinguished by a bright, spectacle-type coat pattern from around the eyes. Their fur is dark to sometimes black, as are the wings. The wingspan is about one meter.

Way of life

Glasses bats are nocturnal. At dusk, they swarm out in search of food and return before sunrise back to their camp ( "Camp "). The groups usually consist of several thousand animals, but their size is subject to strong seasonal fluctuations.

In the rain forests of Australia, the species plays a superior role as disseminators of seeds and pollinators of flowers. Glasses flying foxes carry the fruit seeds and pollen over long distances and thus offer the possibility of spreading a particular ecosystem. Glasses bats are considered a key species ( keystone species).

Dissemination

Glasses flying foxes come in northeast Australia (Queensland ) before Hitchinbrook between Iceland and Cape York. All colonies are within a distance of up to 6.5 km to the tropical rainforest. Here they find their food, which consists mainly of fruits, but also from pollen. Some colonies are also found in New Guinea and neighboring islands.

According to the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Australia) glasses bats are classified as " vulnerable ". They are threatened by habitat loss, tick paralysis, climate change and mass killing exemplary by the overseers in the orchards. In addition, they are considered by the Aborigines as a food; However, it is not known how the hunting affects the inventory of the spectacle bats. Overall, it is currently of about 100,000 animals from, with strongly decreasing trend, every year, the number decreased to several thousand animals.