Small flying fox Small flying fox The small flying fox, island flying fox or variable flying fox ("Pteropus hypomelanus") is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is found in Australia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, the Solomon Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. The small flying fox is quite variable in its colouring. The head is usually dark brown but can be yellowish-brown and is paler in the eastern part of the animal's range. The back is tawny-brown and the underparts some shade of buff. The ears are partially furred and the wing membranes are
Indian flying fox canine is pronounced, and the molars have a longitudinal furrow. As of 1999, it is the longest-lived member of its genus; one individual lived for 31 years and 5 months in captivity. It was described as a new species in 1782 by Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich, who gave it the scientific name "Vespertilio gigantea." Linnaeus previously classified the species as "Pteropus vampyrus". Its species name ""giganteus"" is of Latin origin, meaning "giant." In 2012, Mlíkovský argued that the correct scientific name of the Indian flying fox should be "Pteropus medius" rather than "P. giganteus". He asserted that Brünnich coined