Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus)
Blurb from the Author: I love bats! I think they are super interesting creatures, especially the giant fruit/ flying fox bats. I wanted to personally know more about these giant creatures so I decided to make them my species of the week. 🙂
Lifespan: ~12-23 years
Population Size: 10,000 individuals (decreasing 🙁 )
Geographical Location: They are endemic to the Philippines where they can be found in deep caves and or tropical rainforests.
Diet: They are frugivores! They especially favor figs, as they make up most of their diet along with some leaves here and there.
Size: ~2.5 lbs, wingspan of 1.5-1.7 meters, 7-11 inches long
Conservation Status: endangered 🙁
Predators: There are only a few known predators such as raptors, pythons, and humans.
Reproduction: Little is known about their reproduction system. What is known is that they have two reproduction periods throughout the year, but only produce one young in total from both of these periods combined and give birth in April-June.
Communication: They communicate both with their distinct individual smells and also vocally with squabbles, cackles, and screeches.
- Fun Facts:
- They actually have great eyesight unlike other bats that rely on echolocation for sight
- They are nocturnal
- They are genetically related to foxes
- In South America they are known as the cryptic creature “Chupacabra”
- They are very into personal grooming and use the water from local water sources to pour on themselves (with their wings) and clean themselves
- They mate upside down
- They are vital pollinators
- They cool themselves by fanning themselves with their wings and licking their bodies
- The ‘golden-crowned’ part of their name refers to the golden tuft of fur on the top of their head
Websites Used for Research: https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/139/21988328 http://animalia.bio/giant-golden-crowned-flying-fox https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Acerodon_jubatus/
References: Heinen, V. 2009. “Acerodon jubatus” (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed April 08, 2020 at https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Acerodon_jubatus/