Some flying foxes are diurnal, so just staying in at night might not cut it. Then again, unless you are are juicy mango you probably don't have anything to worry about.
Incidentally, third photo down appears mostly to be corvids (i.e. birds), there may be some bats in there too, hard to say.
And yes, there is some major forced perspective going on in that first photo, I can't find reliable info on the maximum height of Pteropus but I'm guessing it's half a meter or so, still an impressive bat.
I'd love to know the story behind that first photo. I'm jealous of the people who get to feed bananas to flying foxes! Not that I'm likely to ever have the opportunity, but I can dream, can't I? :-)
February 15, 2009
Anonymous said...
I love bats, especially the flying fox variety here in Quensland. The are so gosh darn cute!!! And they're fruitivores so nothing to be scared of, people! Except when they crap on your car. That stuff melts paint!!!!!!!!!!!
An amazing thing about the flying foxes is that they're not in the same family as the small, bug-eating bats. They're actually more closely related to primates - i.e., us - than they are to carnivorous/insectivorous bats.
And I would love to go to the flying fox reserve in Australia just for the chance to cuddle one.
@ Casey: while the idea that "megachiropteran" fruit bats and "microchiropteran" echolocating bats are not closely related to one another has been proposed several times, genetic studies have now confirmed that they are more closely related to each other than either group is to any other group of mammals (including primates) and powered flight probably evolved only once among mammals. "Microchiroptera" itself may not be monophyletic but that's another story....
February 17, 2009
Anonymous said...
Incredible photos!
February 17, 2009
Anonymous said...
Ich liebe Tiere (auch Pflanzen) und ich finde es unverständlich und dumm, dass viele Menschen Fledermäuse und Flughunde eklig finden.
17 Comments
Close this window Jump to comment formPlease tell me that bat in the first picture is just reeeeeaaaaally close to the camera and the people aren't as close as they look.
February 15, 2009
Fuck that's a big bat!
February 15, 2009
Bats are awesome!
February 15, 2009
I'll be staying indoors the next few nights.
Some flying foxes are diurnal, so just staying in at night might not cut it. Then again, unless you are are juicy mango you probably don't have anything to worry about.
Incidentally, third photo down appears mostly to be corvids (i.e. birds), there may be some bats in there too, hard to say.
And yes, there is some major forced perspective going on in that first photo, I can't find reliable info on the maximum height of Pteropus but I'm guessing it's half a meter or so, still an impressive bat.
February 15, 2009
I'd love to know the story behind that first photo. I'm jealous of the people who get to feed bananas to flying foxes! Not that I'm likely to ever have the opportunity, but I can dream, can't I? :-)
February 15, 2009
I love bats, especially the flying fox variety here in Quensland. The are so gosh darn cute!!! And they're fruitivores so nothing to be scared of, people! Except when they crap on your car. That stuff melts paint!!!!!!!!!!!
February 15, 2009
Wombat, do you really think these guys are ugly? That first pic is cute enough to merit extra Es in this: squeeeeeeeeeee so cute.
February 16, 2009
I think they're absolutely adorable. I waaaaaant one.
February 16, 2009
The librarian is correct. These range from cute to awesome. Time for some dung-imitating spiders again. Ahhh...good times.
February 16, 2009
Man-Bat!
This made my day.
February 17, 2009
An amazing thing about the flying foxes is that they're not in the same family as the small, bug-eating bats. They're actually more closely related to primates - i.e., us - than they are to carnivorous/insectivorous bats.
And I would love to go to the flying fox reserve in Australia just for the chance to cuddle one.
February 17, 2009
@ Casey: while the idea that "megachiropteran" fruit bats and "microchiropteran" echolocating bats are not closely related to one another has been proposed several times, genetic studies have now confirmed that they are more closely related to each other than either group is to any other group of mammals (including primates) and powered flight probably evolved only once among mammals. "Microchiroptera" itself may not be monophyletic but that's another story....
February 17, 2009
Incredible photos!
February 17, 2009
Ich liebe Tiere (auch Pflanzen) und ich finde es unverständlich und dumm, dass viele Menschen Fledermäuse und Flughunde eklig finden.
February 18, 2009
Es ist eine verrückte Welt, anonymous.
February 19, 2009
That last bat photo is bat-tastic!
February 19, 2009
OMG! The first bat is freaky!
November 01, 2009