Of the 65 species of bat living in Australia, eight are flying foxes. Unlike other bats, which are carnivorous, flying foxes feed on pollen, nectar, blossoms, bark and fruit (in fact, they're often called fruit bats). As a result, flying foxes have lost the ability to echolocate and instead rely on eyesight and smell to navigate and find food.

Australia's flying foxes live in a variety of habitats including rain forest, woodland and swamp. They roost in large numbers in dense canopies during the day and forage for food at night, often traveling for many miles. When food is spotted, the flying fox zeroes in, crashes into the foliage and grabs for it with a clawed thumb or hind foot. It may also land on a branch and swing upside down. It chews its food vigorously, spitting out bits of plant matter that fall to the forest floor.

They are highly social animals with a complex social system. They communicate with one another with more than 20 different squeaks and calls. They live in congregations, or "camps," of sometimes up to several thousand animals. Several camps will come together during the mating season. The male strongly defends tne mother and young during nursing with loud calls to establish territory and strong-smelling secretions from his shoulder glands. A territory may not consist of anything more than a single branch.

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