Indian Flying Fox: Fearless Exploring

By Dibyendu Ash [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

One of the largest of Bats, Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus giganteus) has a wingspan of more than a child's height. During her flight, She extends her legs outward to expand the span of her wings. A strong swimmer, Indian Flying Fox crosses rivers using her wings as flippers.

Less feared than other types of Bats, Indian Flying Fox eats only fruit. Her favorite is very soft bananas which She swallows whole.  However, with mangoes, She extracts the juice and spits out the seeds. Indian Flying Fox is an important pollinator in the tropics, and a major dispenser of seeds. In certain parts of India, She is regarded as sacred.

Unfortunately for Her, her desire for fruit has led Indian Flying Fox in conflict with people. Because She causes extensive damage to fruit orchards, many farmers consider Indian Flying Fox to be a pest. Governments in South Asia have instituted kill programs to stop Her, since they consider Indian Flying Fox to be “vermin.”

Found throughout South Asia and the Maldives, Indian Flying Fox prefers living near large areas of water. She is often found in tropical forests and swamps. Once, She settles into a suitable place, Indian Flying Fox makes it her permanent Camp. (Groups of Flying Foxes are called “camps.”) Because of her strong flying abilities, Indian Flying Fox colonized many islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Many species of Flying Foxes found on these islands can be traced to her.

Indian Flying Fox flies long distances at night to search for her food. Some of her travels have led her to distant lands. She is fearless in what She does knowing that She can navigate anywhere. A dauntless explorer, Indian Flying Fox travels to islands near and far. Traversing over vast stretches of ocean, She is unafraid of never reaching land. Indian Flying Fox is confident in her navigation skills. Because of her self-assuredness, She has become the mother of many island species. Take wing and fly. Just be care not to be a pest.

Wisdom of Indian Flying Fox:
 Strength
 Confidence
Having Adventures
Learning Not to be a Pest  

Note: Indian Flying Fox is also known as Greater Indian Fruit Bat.

Fruit Bats (Flying Foxes): Know What is Important

Know What is Important

Flying Foxes (Pteropdidae) have large eyes, oval ears, and excellent memories. These large Bats differ greatly from their smaller insect-eating Cousins. Instead of using echolocation, Flying Foxes use their excellent sight and hearing to find fruit. They roost outside in the sun instead of in caves.

Once a suitable roosting area is found, Flying Foxes mass in the tens of thousands. These semi-permanent spots or camps may hold as many as one million Bats. At night, they leave their camps to search for flowers and tasty fruit.

What people notice the most about Flying Foxes is their screeching. Their mixture of screeches and cackles is their bat language. Flying Foxes “squabble” to establish roosting sites, ward off rivals, talk to their Pups, and warn others. (They, also, watch the body language of each other as well.)

Because They roost in orchards, Flying Foxes are coming into conflict with people. Australian farmers see Them as pests since They cause damage to the fruit trees. These Mammals are becoming endangered by human encroachment on their habitats. Since Flying Foxes are important pollinators like Bees, people must learn to protect and live with Them.

The peoples of Australia and Asia see Flying Foxes as being strong and good. These Bats feed on the fruit and flowers of the rainforests, making the land fertile. Samoans call Flying Fox, manu lagi, "Animal of the Heavens." Flying Foxes may be noisy and shrill but they pollinate the islands spreading goodness. Flying Fox Family teaches what is important.

Wisdom of the Fruit Bat (Flying Fox) Family:
 Living in Large Groups
Recognize Your Gifts
Know Your Importance
Fertility
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Science Notes:
Australian government authorities warn people not to handle fruit bats since they carry Australian Bat Lyssavirus. These bats are under protection in Australia.

Flying Foxes look like foxes but they are not. Scientists have placed these fruit bats in the Bat Family, but they are still deliberating the exact relationship between the ‘micro‘ or smaller bats and flying foxes.

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Copyright: Virginia Carper, Animal Teachers, 2008
For insights into your animal teachers, contact me at animalteachers @ gmail.com

Bat Family: Facing the Shadows

 The Bat Family (The Order Chiroptera) accounts for one fifth of the mammal species on earth. The only Mammals on earth to fly, Bat Family is divided into two groups – Megachiroptera, the large Fruit Bats of the Old World, and Microchiroptera, the smaller Bats that people know worldwide.

 Known as “Flying Foxes”, Megachiroptera have foxlike faces with large eyes. Flying with steady wing beats, Flying Foxes rely on their sense of smell and sight to navigate. With wide spans the size of a small adult, These Bats, also, use their wings as flippers for swimming. Flying Foxes feed on fruit, pollen, and nectar. 
Vital to the forests they live in, They promote the growth of new plants.

Microchiroptera hunt at night, using echolocation to locate Insects. In addition, these Bats eat fruit and pollen. They roost in caves, under bridges, any place where the temperature of the air remains stable.

Bats are social animals living in huge colonies. In their colonies, They have Nurseries for Mothers and Pups. Contrary to superstitions, Bats do not become entangled in people’s hair. Exceptionally long lived for small Mammals, Bats will enter a state of torpor to conserve energy.

 In Western countries, Bats thought are symbols of desolation and the underworld. One reason is because They could not be classified as any known animal. In the Medieval European mind, this is in violation of God’s Laws. However, in China, Bats bring good luck and happiness. In fact, the Chinese word “fu” means either “bat” or “blessings”.

Fear of bats is fear of the shadows. Bats teach you to face your fears. They navigate through dark places with their echolocation. Bats can be your guides through the known places of your fears.  

Bat Family’s Wisdom Includes:
Listen to Echoes
Finding New Understandings
Living in Cities
Finding Your Way in Unfamiliar Places
Developing a Fresh Outlook and Perspective

Conservation Note: Many bat species are endangered.