Spectacled bat
| Spectacled bat | ||||||||||||
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Spectacled bat ( Pteropus conspicillatus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Pteropus conspicillatus | ||||||||||||
| Gould , 1850 |
The African flying fox ( Pteropus conspicillatus ) is a species from the family of the flying foxes (Pteropodidae) found in northern Australia .
features
Spectacled flying dogs are characterized by a light, glasses-like coat around the eyes. Their fur is dark to sometimes black, as are their wings. The wingspan is about one meter.
Way of life
Spectacled flying foxes are nocturnal. In the twilight they swarm out in search of food and return to their camp site before sunrise. The groups usually consist of several thousand animals, but their size is subject to strong seasonal fluctuations.
In the rainforests of Australia, the species plays an extremely important role as a disperser of seeds and pollinators of flowers. Spectacled flying foxes transport the fruit seeds and pollen over long distances and thus offer the ecosystem a special opportunity to spread. Glasses bats are a key species considered (keystone species).
distribution
Spectacled flying foxes are found in northeastern Australia ( Queensland ) between Hinchinbrook Island and Cape York . All colonies are within 6.5 km of the tropical rainforest. Here you will find your food, which mainly consists of fruits, but also of pollen. Some colonies can also be found in New Guinea and neighboring islands.
According to the Commonwealth Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (Australia), spectacled bats are classified as "vulnerable". They are threatened by habitat loss, tick paralysis, climate change and massive killing by the guards in the orchards. They are also viewed as food by the Aborigines ; however, it is not known how the hunt affects the spectacled bat population. Overall, it is currently assumed that there are around 100,000 animals, with a sharply falling trend, the number decreases by a few thousand each year.
literature
- Eggert: C 1994, Is tick paralysis in the spectacled flying fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, related to a change in the foraging behavior of P. conspicillatus? , Honors thesis, Southern Cross University.
- Hall, LS & Richards: G 2000, Flying foxes - fruit and blossom bats of Australia , University of New South Wales Press, Sydney.
- Richards: 1987, Aspects of the ecology of spectacled flying-foxes, Pteropus conspicillatus, (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in tropical Queensland , Australian Mammalogy , vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 87-8.
- Richards: GC 1990a, The spectacled flying-fox, Pteropus conspicillatus, (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae) in North Queensland Australia 1. Roost sites and distribution patterns , Australian Mammalogy, vol. 13, no. 1-2, pp. 17-24.
Web links
- Pteropus conspicillatus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Helgen, K., Salas, L. & Bonaccorso, F., 2008. Retrieved December 28, 2013.