"During heat events, grey-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) cannot cool down enough by only flapping their wings and they fly down to the nearest river to belly dip in order to do so (and proceed to drink the water of their fur as well). An incredible spectacle. Flying-foxes are an important part of our ecosystems by dispersing seeds far and wide."
VIDEO: https://youtu.be/MbhFKcqNFUU - "Grey-headed Flying-Foxes are an important part of our forest ecosystems because they pollinate and disperse the seeds of many important tree species. I feel amazed every time I see these giant bats take off to the skies in the evening, sometimes in incredible numbers."
Check out Doug Gimesy Photography's article in NatGeo about this species and carers: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2018/11/flying-foxes-bats-animal-rescue-australia/
Nicolas Rakotopare Photography <- click here to like the post on FaceBook
"With the maximum recorded wingspan exceeding an impressive 1.5 metres (~1m on average), the grey-headed flying fox is one of the largest bats in Australia. One of the images I took 2 weeks ago when we expected a very hot day but it turned out to be cooler so rather than see the dipping behaviour we photographed them flying from roost to roost. I love the detail of the wings <3, they are incredible critters!
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The major threats facing this species is the destruction of foraging and roosting habitat due to expanding urbanisation and agriculture. Climate change may also pose a threat to the grey-headed flying-fox as climate models are predicting significant increases in the occurrence of temperature extremes.⠀
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When the temperature reaches 38C they enter heat stress and 42C is their mortality threshold. An extreme heat event killed several hundred flying foxes in Sydney a few weeks ago.⠀
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As important pollinators and seed dispersal agents, these bats are integral in maintaining healthy forest ecosystems."
Nicolas Rakotopare Photography <- click here to like the post on FaceBook
"Black Flying Fox (Pteropus alecto) - One of the several species of flying fox found in Australia. I photographed this roost on the Gold Coast many years ago. They are incredible animals ! The groups can travel over 50 km to feed and will use the same camp for many years. The south-eastern distribution limit of black flying-foxes has been moving southwards for at least 60 years and shifting over 1000km.
Their main threats are:
- Habitat loss
- Killing for crop protection
- Barbed wire fences, powerlines"
sm done 07012019
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