Gray-headed Flying Fox

The grey-headed flying fox (Pteropus poliocephalus) is a megabat native to Australia. The species shares mainland Australia with three other members of the genus Pteropus: the little red P. scapulatus, spectacled P. conspicillatus, and the black P. alecto. The grey-headed flying fox is the largest bat in Australia. The grey-headed flying fox is endemic to the south-eastern forested areas of Australia, principally east of the Great Dividing Range. Its range extends approximately from Bundaberg in Queensland to Geelong in Victoria, with outlying colonies in Ingham and Finch Hatton in the north, and in Adelaide in the south. In the southern parts of its range it occupies more extreme latitudes than any other Pteropus species. As of 2021, the species is listed as "Vulnerable" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. == Taxonomy == A description of the species was published by Coenraad Temminck in his 1825 monograph of mammals. Hybridisation with the species Pteropus alecto has been noted where their ranges intersect. The common names for Pteropus poliocephalus include grey-headed kalong. The entry in Gould's Mammals of Australia (1863) gave the bat the title grey-headed vampire. == Description == The grey-headed flying fox is the largest bat in Australia…