Young Rescued Bat Squeaks While Being Tickled

Nature is rich in unusual fauna representatives, which do not cease to amaze with their appearance. Some of the most extraordinary and mysterious creatures that live in the jungle trades at night. According to the structure of the muzzle and body, a flying fox is like a dog or a forest fox, after whom it is given its name. but this curious creature is also featuring large leathery wings and thus it is categorized in the bat group.

Flying foxes are huge bats belonging to the family of Pteropodidae. These animals sustain themselves by consuming flowers and fruits, more precisely, their juice and leaves. Flying foxes grow to forty centimeters which makes them the largest bat species on earth. The range of a single wing can reach one and a half meters. The appearance of the flying fox is quite curious. The muzzles of the flying foxes are similar to those of foxes and canines (hence the name), the eyes are large and expressive, and the structure of the skull is somewhat similar to the lower primates. Their wings are leathery, like bats’, and the largest individuals have a wings’ range of 150-170 cm. With their help, the animals fan themselves like a fan in the heat or wrap themselves in them, like a cloak, when the weather becomes cool. because of these wings the flying foxes are the only mammals capable of long distance flights. Body length in different species varies from 5 to 40 centimeters, respectively, and the mass varies from some 15 to 900 grams. The tail is either absent or completely tiny (except only for the Longtails’ wings). Their color ranges from yellow and greenish to dark brown.

This is a hand-raised juvenile flying fox in care with a registered, vaccinated wildlife carer. Listen along to the adorable sounds it makes while it is being tickled! Thanks to the people at the Sydney Metropolitan Wildlife Services, a group of volunteers who rescue, rehabilitate and release all species of wildlife found in the Sydney metropolitan area, this cute little creature was able to make a full recovery back to the wild.

In the old days, these cute strictly vegetarian animals were credited with awful properties: they were personified as harpies and vampires eating human flesh and drinking human blood. Even James Cook the explorer took these harmless creatures for devils. But this is an unfair preconception of these amazing and useful creatures.

In their habitats, the flying foxes are one of the main animals responsible for disseminating plant seeds, natural regeneration and pollination of many species of trees. And on some islands of Oceania before the appearance of the Europeans, these bats were in general the only mammals. This makes them a very valuable link in the ecosystem.

Unfortunately, more than half of the species of live on small islands and in addition to hunting, their number is reduced due to deforestation of tropical forests and cyclones. That's why trading them is tantamount to disaster. In connection with this, in 1987, nine species of Pteropodidae were placed among endangered animals in the Annex to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Plants and Animals (CITES). Commercial animal production became possible only after obtaining a special permit, which is issued very rarely.