Who are flying foxes? Where do they live, what do they feed on, to which family are they? In this article we will answer the questions posed. The animal world is very interesting to people, they constantly watch it.
Appearance
Flying foxes are huge bats belonging to the Krylana family. These animals like to eat flowers and fruits, more precisely, their juice and pulp. Flying foxes grow up to forty centimeters - for mice it is very large. The scope of one wing reaches one and a half meters. The appearance of the Javanese kalong (also called flying foxes) is pretty awesome. They have a small pointed muzzle, the tail and ears of the animal are small.
In nature, there are more than fifty-five types of kalong. Flying foxes, or rather their muzzle, are very similar to a fox or a dog. These animals live in Oceania and Madagascar, in South and East Asia, Australia and New Guinea. In Latin, the name of flying foxes also sounds a little frightening - pteropus. But in fact, these are cute creatures that do not eat meat.
Similarity with other animals
Kalong (or the large flying fox) among all other species of winged birds is the largest. The body color is black, the head and neck are red. A rare slippery fur grows throughout the body.
Kalong and red cheat are very similar not only to the muzzles. These animals have a well-developed hearing. It is he who helps them find the right food. Also, foxes have a little resemblance to bats: leather wings and an active lifestyle at night.
Kalongs do not eat meat, but only fruit juice and pulp. This is their main difference from bats. This apparently terrifying animal is a vegetarian. Also, flying foxes do not have echolocation devices. The ancestors of the kalongs had something similar, they made sounds so that they could easily navigate at night.
Flying foxes live in large flocks in the same place. If no one bothers animals, then there they will stay for many years. Usually kalongs love to live in dense forests, but still they can be found in the mountains, at an altitude of up to a thousand meters above sea level.
Animal agility
The giant flying fox usually rests during daylight hours. She clings with her paws to the branches of trees and sleeps or is simply not moving. Also, kalong can settle in a hollow or cave, clutching at uneven walls. He embraces his body with large wings, as if hiding in a blanket. Sometimes flying foxes get very hot (in the summer). But smart animals flap their huge wings, creating a breeze for themselves.
During the night "hunt" flying foxes also show all their agility and agility. Directly on the fly, the animal tries to pluck the fruit seen from afar. But usually the wingers just cling to a tree branch with one foot, and the second rip off the fruit. First, foxes put it in their mouth, then crush it, suck out the juice and eat out some of the pulp. All that remains of the fetus, the kalong will spit down to the ground.
Krylanov can be called both helpers and pests of nature. On the plus side, flying foxes spread seeds. But negative can be called damage to fruit trees, and even entire plantations.
The benefits of flying foxes
Kalongs breed in early spring (March-April). The female carries the calf for about seven months. When a flying fox gives birth to a small winged wing, he immediately takes it with him for the first time. Only when the cub becomes independent (somewhere in two or three months), the mother leaves him on a branch, and she flies away for food.
Recently, the giant flying fox is listed in the IUCN Red List. At the moment, the winged wing is not an endangered species, but stable. “Flying fox”, “fruit mouse”, “flying Zorro” - these are all the names of these vegetarian animals.
The winged wings have very interesting teeth by nature, they are specially sharpened for eating fruits and leaves. Local peasants really appreciate flying foxes, they help people. Mice pollinate wild and cultivated plants, and people live off the sale of fruits, so they are happy to meet these funny animals in their gardens.
