Megabat - Family: Pteropus alecto (Black Flying-fox). Australian wildlife Rescued.
NOT a PET
Fernando's mother was electrocuted on a power pole and died.
Baby megabats are known to survive an electrocution.
As with all wildlife, hands and arms are sterilized before and after.
He will be in care until ready for release.
They are first feed milk. 4 or so times a day. about 44 mls total (not cows milk from the store). Babies powder milk - diploma. we also use now a special mix formulated just for bats. however this is very expensive. they are then intro to stewed apples then cut fruit.. apples, rock melon, watermelon, paw paw, pear and banana. they learn how to expel the skin.
Seeds are consumed in the wild. this is one way they are important to the environment.
They have been doing this for 30 million years. Fossil found is approx 33 million years old. I believe it was found in Australia.
* Flying foxes are very important pollinators and seed disperses of many native plants including Eucalyptus, figs, bush apples (Syzygium spp.), bush plums (Terminalia spp.), paperbarks, guerrillas, and fruits of many palm species. The seeds of some plant species (particularly those with white and green fruits) may only be dispersed by flying foxes, meaning that these plants rely on flying foxes in order to successfully reproduce. It has been estimated that a single flying fox can dispense up to 60,000 seeds in a single night.
* Flying foxes are also important for nutrient regeneration and nutrient cycling within the ecosystem. Not only do they provide large quantities of fertilizer to the system, but they create gaps in the canopy which enables other plants to compete more effectively. For instance, some trees shade ground-dwelling plants and shrubs, preventing them from obtaining nutrients, light and rain. By creating a gap in the canopy, flying foxes enable these plants to obtain more sunlight, rainfall and nutrients, thus promoting a more diverse plant community, with cascading benefits for many other animals and plants.
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