Biology

Within their large camps, little red flying foxes roost in close proximity and in tight clusters, often causing large limbs of rainforest trees to snap off under the sheer weight of so many bats on a single branch (8)! During the breeding season between November and January (the Australian late spring, early summer) males establish territories within these roosts, from which they actively defend a harem of two to five females from other males (3) (4). After mating, females establish small groups consisting exclusively of females, which are maintained until young are born five months later in April to May (3). Females carry their young during flight for the first four to six weeks of life, after which the infant is left at the roost while they forage at night. At two months, young will move and fly around between the trees within the camp (4). Sexual maturity is typically reached between 18 months and 2 years of age (3). This nectar specialist primarily feeds on the nectar and pollen of eucalyptus blossoms (4) (7), although the diet also includes flowers, fruit, growing shoots, bark, sap and insects and fruit orchards are occasionally raided when food is scarce, much to the irritation of farmers (2) (4). Little red flying foxes may fly over 80 km a night visiting different trees (7) and, like other flying foxes, use their excellent sense of sight and smell to find their food (9).