Black-eared flying fox Black-eared flying fox The black-eared flying fox ("Pteropus melanotus"), also known as Blyth's flying fox and Christmas Island flying fox, is a species of bat in the family Pteropodidae. It is found on Christmas Island (Australia), Andaman Islands (India), Nicobar Islands (India), and Sumatra (Indonesia). The population on Christmas Island, which is critically endangered, is considered either a subspecies of "Pteropus melanotus", or a distinct species, "Pteropus natalis." The black-eared flying fox is native to various island groups in the Indo-Pacific. These include the Andaman Islands, the Nicobar Islands, the Mentawai Islands and Christmas Island. It mostly roosts in large
Grey-headed flying fox and pollens of around 187 plant species. These include "Eucalyptus", particularly "Eucalyptus gummifera", "Eucalyptus muellerana", "Eucalyptus globoidea" and "Eucalyptus botryoides", and fruits from a wide range of rainforest trees, including members of the genus "Ficus". These bats are considered sequential specialists, since they feed on a variety of foods. Grey-headed flying foxes, along with the three other Australian flying fox species, fulfill a very important ecological role by dispersing the pollen and seeds of a wide range of native Australian plants. The grey-headed flying fox is the only mammalian nectarivore and frugivore to occupy substantial areas of subtropical rainforests, so