SPECIES: Pteropus conspicillatus — Spectacled Flying-fox
CLASSIFICATION: Endangered
Found in the north-eastern regions of Queensland, the Spectacled Flying Fox is a species of megabat. The Spectacled Flying-fox is a forest dweller, and their preferred habitat is within the rainforest. As Flying Foxes and their Bat relatives being quite susceptible to heat, the Spectacled Flying-fox actually has the greatest tolerance to ranges of ambient temperatures of any mammal.
A female will only have one pup each breeding season. They feed on fruits, blossoms and canopy vegetation and their foraging aids in the dispersal of pollen and seeds, which are vital within the ecosystem. These flying foxes roost in colonies or 'camps' in exposed branches of canopy trees. Within their community, colony pups congregate in 'nursery' trees within the colony, but can be quite a distance from adult flying foxes of the colony. Threats to the Spectacled Flying-fox include habitat loss, tick paralysis, heat and cyclones.