The Spectacled Flying-Fox

Home range

• Only travel 20-30 km from camp to feed.

Distribution

• Coastal Queensland from Tully to the tip of Cape York and islands in Torres Strait.
• Spectacled flying-foxes are generally found in or around rainforests and sometimes in mangroves associated with black flying-foxes.

Description

• Spectacled flying-foxes have distinctive straw-coloured fur around the eyes which gives them their name.
• Eye rings can sometimes be indistinct and they will look similar to black flying-foxes.
• Pale fur on shoulders can vary between individuals.
• Average weight 500-1000 g.
• Head-body length 220-240 mm.

Habitat

• Tall rainforests, gallery forest, mangroves or paperbark forests.

Ecology

Life history and behaviour

• Little is known about the life span of spectacled flying-foxes in the wild but can live in captivity for 17 years.
• Usually, roost in single-species camps.
• Territorial and aggressive at rich food resources.
• Forage only during the night.

Breeding

• Mating is common throughout the first half of the year but conception only in March-May, single young born October-December.
• Mothers give birth upside down and carry the young for 3-4 weeks.
• Older young stay at the camp until they start to fly.

Food

• Specialist fruit eater that feeds mostly on rainforest fruits, some eucalyptus nectar and pollen.
• Disperses seeds of at least 26 species of rainforest canopy trees.