Black flying fox Black flying fox The black flying fox or black fruit bat ("Pteropus alecto") is a bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is among the largest bats in the world, but is considerably smaller than the largest species in its genus, "Pteropus". The black flying fox is native to Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia. It is not a threatened species. Juvenile specimens of this species from Moa Island in Torres Strait have been described as a separate species, "Pteropus banakrisi". This supposed species was known as the "Torresian flying fox" or "Moa Island fruit bat". The black flying fox has
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