{"id":9582,"date":"2025-08-28T00:07:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-28T00:07:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/?p=9582"},"modified":"2025-10-23T23:46:37","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T23:46:37","slug":"spectacled-flying-foxes-faqs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/spectacled-flying-foxes-faqs\/","title":{"rendered":"Spectacled Flying-foxes \u2013 FAQS"},"content":{"rendered":"[mk_page_section bg_image=”https:\/\/terrain.org.au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/sff2-banner.jpg” bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” bg_stretch=”true” enable_3d=”true” min_height=”500″ js_vertical_centered=”true” padding_top=”” padding_bottom=”” section_id=”donate” el_class=”donate-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”70px”][mk_fancy_title font_family=”none” align=”center”]SPECTACLED FLYING-FOXES – FAQS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”67″][\/vc_column][\/mk_page_section][mk_page_section section_id=”great-1″ sidebar=”sidebar-1″][vc_column width=”1\/2″ css=”.vc_custom_1563789112768{padding-right: 36px !important;padding-left: 0px !important;}” el_class=”great_header_left”][mk_padding_divider size=”100″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”15″ visibility=”visible-sm”][mk_padding_divider visibility=”visible-tl”][mk_fancy_title size=”28″ letter_spacing=”4″ margin_bottom=”0″ font_family=”none” el_class=”terrain-title-2″]ANSWERS TO YOUR COMMUNITY SURVEY QUESTIONS[\/mk_fancy_title][mk_padding_divider size=”60″ visibility=”hidden-nb”][mk_padding_divider size=”20″ visibility=”visible-nb”][vc_column_text el_class=”sub-head” css=”.vc_custom_1756339757050{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]28 AUGUST 2025[\/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”5″][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1760674745352{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Recently we undertook a community survey to find out what people know, and what they want they want to know, about Spectacled Flying-foxes. Here are responses to some of the questions raised in the survey:<\/p>\n

How many species of flying-fox live in the Wet Tropics?
\n<\/strong>
\nThree species of flying-fox occur in the Wet Tropics: the Spectacled Flying-fox, Little Red Flying-fox and Black Flying-fox.<\/p>\n

What are Spectacled Flying-foxes?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Spectacled Flying-foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) are large fruit bats native to north-eastern Australia. They\u2019re easy to recognise by the light-coloured fur around their eyes \u2013 like a pair of spectacles.<\/p>\n

Are they protected?
\n<\/strong>
\nYes. They are listed as Endangered under the National Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act (EPBC Act 1999) and Queensland\u2019s Nature Conservation Act (1992) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List. They are also on the Australian Government’s priority species list in the Threatened Species Action Plan. They are one of Australia\u2019s 110 priority threatened species.<\/p>\n

This means it is illegal to harm, kill or disturb them without a specific permit. Their habitat areas (roosts) are also protected.<\/p>\n

Where do they live?
\n<\/strong>
\nIn Australia, they mainly live in north-east Queensland, especially in the Wet Tropics and the eastern side of Cape York. They\u2019re also found in New Guinea, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.<\/p>\n

What is their habitat?
\n<\/strong>
\nSpectacled Flying-foxes roost in rainforests, mangroves and tall eucalypts along waterways, flatlands, plateaus and lower hill slopes. Unfortunately, their preferred habitat often overlaps with areas that people also enjoy, which means urban development is putting pressure on their roosting sites.<\/p>\n

Why do they move around?
\n<\/strong>
\nSpectacled Flying-foxes are highly nomadic. Like many wild animals, they move in response to food (fruit and nectar), water, safety from predators and seasonal climate patterns.<\/p>\n

By day, they rest in communal roosts; by night, they can travel long distances to feed. Scientists have mapped dozens of roosts across the Wet Tropics, and continue to assess habitat condition for the species.<\/p>\n

Why do they roost in towns and cities like Cairns?
\n<\/strong>
\nSpectacled Flying-foxes have roosted in the Cairns region since long before settlement. Today, there are more than 70 known roosts across the area including Gordonvale, Cairns North, Edmonton, and the Northern Beaches. They often return to the same roosting area each year but not always the same roosts, particularly for birthing and cr\u00e8che seasons. However, they also shift seasonally depending on food availability and local climate.<\/p>\n

Terrain NRM and James Cook University (JCU) are working together with the Spectacled Flying-fox Recovery Team (SFFRT) to better understand their movements and identify long-term conservation strategies.<\/p>\n

Do they stay in one roost permanently?
\n<\/strong>
\nNo. Fewer than half of known roosts are occupied at any one time. Roosts act like \u201cdrop-in centres\u201d \u2013 individual bats usually stay for about nine days before moving on, unless they have dependent young. Even if a site has been empty for months or years, they may return in the future.<\/p>\n

Why are they important?
\n<\/strong>
\nSpectacled Flying-foxes are a keystone species \u2013 vital for the health of rainforests. They pollinate trees and disperse seeds over long distances, helping to regenerate and maintain rainforest diversity.<\/p>\n

How many are there?
\n<\/strong>
\nTerrain NRM and JCU are currently monitoring populations using drones and AI technology to get a clearer picture of current numbers and long-term trends. Counts done between 2000 to 2019 showed numbers declined significantly, with over 23,000 deaths recorded in extreme heatwaves during 2018\u201319.<\/p>\n

What threatens their survival?<\/strong><\/p>\n