• Mandai Wildlife Reserve
  • Bird Paradise
  • Night Safari
  • River Wonders
  • English
    • English
    • 简体中文
    • 日本語
  • EN
    • EN
    • 简体中文
    • 日本語
    • My memberships
    • Update Profile
    • Logout
    • My memberships
    • Update Profile
    • Logout
  • Search
icon

You're now logged out!

Singapre Zoo Singapre Zoo

Buy Now
  • Things to Do
    • What's On
    • Activities
    • Presentations
    • Shopping
    • Dining
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Getting Here
    • Getting Around
    • Tips & Services
    • Park Map
  • Animals & Zones
  • Education
    • Admission Rates
    • Programmes & Activities
    • Resources
  • Memberships
    • Friends of Wildlife
    • Friends of Wildlife Plus
    • WildPass
    • Corporate Wildlife Benefits
  • Buy Now
  • Things to Do
    • What's On
    • Activities
    • Presentations
    • Shopping
    • Dining
  • Plan Your Visit
    • Getting Here
    • Getting Around
    • Tips & Services
    • Park Map
  • Animals & Zones
  • Education
    • Admission Rates
    • Programmes & Activities
    • Resources
  • Memberships
    • Friends of Wildlife
    • Friends of Wildlife Plus
    • WildPass
    • Corporate Wildlife Benefits
  • Mandai Wildlife Reserve
  • Singapore Zoo
  • River Wonders
  • Night Safari
  • Bird Paradise
  • Singapore Zoo
  • Animals & Zones
  • Malayan Flying Fox

Malayan flying fox

Find me in
Fragile Forest
  • Quick Facts
  • Get to Know
  • Protecting Wildlife
  • You Might Also Like

Quick facts

Lifespan

Lifespan

15 years in the wild

Up to 30 years under human care

Diet

Diet

Pollen, nectar,

Flowers and fruit

Habitat

Habitat

Tropical primary and secondary

Forests and swamps

Range

Range

Across much of

Continental and Southeast Asia.

Share on

The Malayan flying fox

Big But Harmless

Big but harmless

With a wingspan of 1.5-1.7m, these are some of the largest bats in the world. At the Fragile Forest biodome, feel the breeze as they flap past you, sometimes missing you by inches. There’s no cause for alarm - these frugivorous bats mean no harm. They’re just probably in a hurry to get to the feeding platform. Landing on the tips of the branches decked out with juicy fruit by the keepers, they quickly fall into an upside-down position to feed, hanging on by the claws on their toes.
Toeing the line

Toeing the line

Their toe claws provide such a powerful grip they can hang on with one foot while feeding with the other! Slicing the rind with their teeth, they extract the fruit with their long tongue, which is also used to lap up nectar.

The thumb claw is used as a hook to help them move along branches. Males also use it to settle turf wars. Highly territorial by nature, they communicate ownership by spreading their wings, growling, or making hostile noises.
All in a (hot) day’s work

All in a (hot) day’s work

The flying foxes have huge eyes with keen eyesight to locate fruits and flowers at night. They can eat up to half of their body weight in fruit on a daily basis. When sated, they right themselves and do a “free-fall” take off to look for a roosting spot. They also turn the right side up in order to defecate. They rest head down, wings wrapped around their bodies. They do not have sweat glands. On hot days, they cool down by fanning their wings. When that doesn’t work, they seek shade and then lick themselves all over - the evaporation of their saliva helps cool their bodies.

Together, we protect wildlife

For the love of durian

For the love of durian

Flying foxes are threatened by over-hunting and deforestation. They are hunted as exotic meat and also consumed as a traditional cure for asthma. Previously, it was thought that flying foxes eat up the flowers of the durian tree and many orchard owners set up nets to trap them.

Studies using camera traps have confirmed that these bats are probably the most effective pollinators for durian trees.

Pollen sticks to their fur as they feed on the nectar, and is transferred when they move off to feed on the flowers of another tree. If flying foxes were to go extinct one day, so might durians. That alone is reason enough to conserve them.

The IUCN Status

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.

DD

Data Deficient

Unknown risk of extinction

LC

Least Concern

At relatively low risk of extinction

NT

Near Threatened

Likely to become vulnerable in the near future

VU

Vulnerable

At high risk of extinction in the wild

EN

Endangered

At very high risk of extinction in the wild

CR

Critically Endangered

At extremely high risk of extinction in the wild

EW

Extinct in the Wild

Survives only in captivity

EX

Extinct

No surviving individuals in the wild or in captivity

You might also like

The Wild Scoop
The Wild Scoop
Tortoise Shell-ter
Tortoise Shell-ter
Indian Gharial
Indian Gharial

Every visit to our parks comes with

Every visit to our parks comes with
Find out how, together, we're creating a better future for wildlife and the planet.

Opening hours

8.30am - 6.00pm (Last entry at 5.00pm)

We're open every day of the year.

Address

80 Mandai Lake Road
Singapore 729826

Stay Connected

  • TikTok-qr-code
  • Weibo-qr-code
  • WeChat-qr-code
  • Douyin-qr-code

About Mandai

  • Mandai Wildlife Group
  • The Mandai Family
  • Mandai Rejuvenation Project
  • Media Centre

Our Parks

  • Bird Paradise
  • Night Safari
  • River Wonders
  • Singapore Zoo

Get Involved

  • Volunteer
  • Support Wildlife
  • Partner With Us

Corporate

  • Corporate Wildlife Benefits
  • Corporate Packages
  • Events and Venues
  • Adoption Programme

Careers

  • We Are Hiring

Need Help?

  • Contact Us
  • FAQ
  • Announcements

© Copyright 2023, Singapore Zoological Gardens. All Rights Reserved.

Mandai Wildlife Reserve, Mandai Bird Paradise, Mandai River Wonders, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari and Wildlife Reserves Singapore are copyrighted by and/or trade marks of Singapore Zoological Gardens (and/or its affiliate(s)) in Singapore and/or other countries, as the case may be.
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Data Protection Policy