The Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius) resembles a little fox with wings – it has a reddish-brown coat, characteristically long snout as well as large eyes. The largest of all bats with a wingspan of approximately 5 ft, it is native to the Indian subcontinent. Also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, favourite fruits are mainly figs, but also mango, guava, bananas, and various cultivated fruits. Flying foxes are accomplished swimmers. Instead of using echolocation, this flying fox detects food through vision and smell. Like all other bats, the Indian flying fox has claws, found on the second finger of each wing and used for grasping fruits and other objects. Indian flying foxes are highly social creatures, forming large roosts of several hundred animals. They live in a 'vertical', male-dominated hierarchy system, where higher-ranked individuals occupy higher spots of the tree, while lower-ranked individuals remain on lower spots. When sleeping, they hang by their feet in an upside-down position, wrapping their wings around themselves. They have been seen swimming through rivers with their wings, which serve them as flippers.
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