Knowra Megabat Megabat A bat in the family Pteropodidae, which includes flying foxes and other large fruit bats. Megabats rely mainly on vision and smell rather than echolocation.
Pteropodidae : A family of bats that includes flying foxes and other fruit bats. Megabats are members of this family, whose species vary greatly in size and ecology.
Pollination : The transfer of pollen from an anther to a flower’s receptive stigma. Nectar-feeding megabats pollinate flowers, including those of economically valuable plants.
Giant golden-crowned flying fox : A large fruit bat endemic to the Philippines, notable for its golden crown and dark body. It illustrates the megabats’ exceptional size and the pressures facing forest-dependent species.
Microbat : An informal name for bats outside the pteropodid family, many of which use echolocation. The traditional megabat–microbat division captures differences in typical size and sensory biology, though not every species fits the pattern.
Chiroptera : The mammalian order comprising bats, the only mammals capable of sustained powered flight. Megabats are one of the two major evolutionary lineages within bats.
Seed dispersal : The movement of seeds away from the parent plant by animals, wind, water, or other agents. Fruit-eating megabats carry seeds across landscapes and help forests regenerate.
Grey-headed flying fox : A large Australian fruit bat with a grey head and reddish-brown mantle. Its urban camps and seasonal movements make human–megabat coexistence especially visible.
Yinpterochiroptera : One of the two major evolutionary lineages of bats, including Pteropodidae and several echolocating families. Molecular classifications place megabats alongside some bats once grouped with microbats.
Bat wing : A flexible flight surface formed by skin stretched across elongated fingers and the body. Its long-fingered structure supports the flight used by fruit bats to reach dispersed food.
Chiropterophily : Pollination by bats, often involving flowers that open at night and produce abundant nectar. It describes the specialized relationship between nectar-feeding megabats and bat-pollinated plants.
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