Husbandry Manual for Grey- Headed Flying Fox - Nswfmpa.org

Flying fox optical pathways are unusual when compared to other mammals:
“A wide overlap of binocular vision and the optic pathway from the eyes to the
brain is found only in Megachiroptera and primates”
(Hall and Richards (p36))
Unlike microchiroptera, flying foxes are unlikely to fly in complete darkness,
Hall and Richards go on to note:
… the visual ability of the flying foxes is considered to be equivalent to that of
the cat, which is well known for both its diurnal and nocturnal visual alertness
….” (p37)
Hearing
GHFF have a simple external ear structure and with no ear tragus, do not rely on
echolocation to navigate or find food. Hall and Richards advise:
“Audiograms for flying foxes show that their hearing is very similar to that of
humans. The peak sensitivity to sound is around 11kHz, with a range of 20-
40 kHz. The majority of flying fox calls have maximum energy in a 4-6kHz
range.” (p38)
3.2 Distribution and Habitat
GHFF are found in coastal south-eastern Australia
from Victoria to Miriam Vale in Qld and inland to the
western slopes (refer Appendix 1). GHFF habituate
traditional camp sites which can pose problems with
urban development. When a traditional camp site is
usurped for human dwellings, problems are
encountered in encouraging the bats to leave the
site. Camp sites are often found not far from water
and usually in densely canopied vegetation, such as
in gullies and hillsides. As the canopy cover is
destroyed by GHFF activity, often flying foxes are
seen roosting on bare tree branches, which once again poses problems when the
camp is situated within suburban Botanical Gardens (refer Appendix 2).
3.3 Conservation Status
Under the Federal Government’s Environmental Protection and Biodiversity
Conservation Act (EPBC Act) GHFF is listed as Vulnerable.
This listing was recommended by the Australian Bat Action Plan as compiled by the
Commonwealth Government on advice from specialist bat researches. Of particular
concern is that GHFF rely heavily on nomadic food sources of large native trees
such as paperbark and spotted gum to survive. As the trees are destroyed for urban
development the GHFF has to travel further and target different foods to survive, so
not only is it in danger of starvation, it is no longer able to assist in the regeneration
of the flora. As described on the Kurringai Bat Conservation Society website:
Husbandry Manual – GHFF
Mandi Griffith - 9 -