Fruit Bat Information Pack

FRUIT BAT INFORM ATION PACK

FRUITBATFACTS -

Fossils show t hat bat s first evolved at least 35 m illion years ago.

-

The phrase " as blind as a bat " doesn't apply t o fruit bat s. They have perfect vision and unlike som e bat s, can't echolocat e.

-

People oft en have t he m isconcept ion t hat because t hey hang upside dow n, t hey ex cret e on t hem selves - t his isn't t rue. Fruit bat s flip t hem selves t he right w ay t o ex cret e t hen go back t o being upside dow n.

-

Fruit bat s how ever do m at e upside dow n.

-

Like bees, fruit bat s are very im port ant pollinat ors.

-

-

-

-

-

THE IM PORTANCE OF FRUIT BATS FRUITBARSAREAVITALPARTOFKEEPINGAUSTRALIA'SECOSYSTEMFLOURISHING, BUTTHEAUSTRALIANFLYINGFOXESAREATRISK,WHICHPUTSTHELANDSCAPEAT RISKALSO.

Fruit bat s are an essent ial part t o M ot hers carry t heir babies pollinat ing t he Aust ralian ecosyst em .

How ever, over t he past cent ury over w hilst airborne.

95% som e bat species have declined w it h furt her decline predict ed. They Fruit bat colonies can are a m igrat ory and nom adic hold up t o 20,000 bat s. 'keyst one' species; m eaning as t hey eat nect ar and pollen t hey help Fruit s, leaves, flow ers, m assively w it h seed dispersal and pollen and nect ar are t he pollinat ion, w hich not only helps t he bulk of t he fruit bat s diet s w ildlife in Aust ralia flourish, but also helps ot her anim als survival and w ellbeing. As t hey m ove up t o There are around 75 different species of Bat in hundreds of kilom et ers t o follow flow ering and fruit ing of food Aust ralia, but only four sources, t hey also help biodiversit y t ypes of m ainland fruit but due t o urbanisat ion and t he bat s. t hreat of clim at e change, t hey are m assively at risk.

They are m ost ly noct urnal, but w ill also fly about in t he day looking for food.

The four m ainland species of fruit bat s are t he Black, Grey-headed, Lit t le Red and Spect acled. How ever t he populat ions of t hese in Queensland, New Sout h Wales and Vict oria cont inue t o decline. Som e researchers believe t hat fruit bat s

could becom e virt ually ex t inct by 2050.

Like m any ot her anim als, t he great est t hreat t o t he fruit bat s in habit at loss. They fly by night in search of food and ret urn back t o t heir colonies and nest s. They also t ypically m igrat e along t he East Coast for food, but w it h urbanisat ion and locals com plaining about noises and sm ells, t hey don't get prot ect ion from m any people. Colonies are oft en t arget ed for shoot ing w hich is not only ineffect ive, but cruel. Som e are not killed inst ant ly and suffer slow ly.

Finding t he balance bet w een keeping t heir habit at and colonies safe and inform ing t hose about t he im port ance of fruit bat s and t he ecosyst em w ill help general m isconcept ions rem oving com m on ignorance and show ing people com passion.

A Li t t l e Red Fl yi n g Fox en j oyi n g h i s w at er m el on sn ack .