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A large Malayan flying fox hanging upside down from a branch.
Photo: NobbiP, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Malayan Flying Fox

Pteropus vampyrus

One of the biggest bats in the world, a fruit-eating Southeast Asian bat with a wingspan of about 5 feet.

🦇 Bats
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About the Malayan Flying Fox

Malayan flying foxes, also called large flying foxes, are among the biggest bats in the world, with wings up to 5 feet across. They weigh 1.25 to 1.9 pounds and are mostly black with golden patches on the head and chest. They live in forests, mangroves and orchards in Malaysia and the rest of Southeast Asia, and eat figs, mangoes, bananas and other fruit, plus flower nectar.[1]

Quick facts

Scientific name
Pteropus vampyrus[1]
Size
About 13 inches tall; wingspan about 5 feet.[1]
Weight
1.25 to 1.9 pounds.[1]
Lifespan
About 15 years in the wild; 30 in human care.[1]
Diet
Fruit such as figs, mangoes and bananas, plus flowers and nectar.[1]
Habitat
Moist forests, mangroves, coconut groves and orchards.[1]
Where it lives
Malaysia, southern China and Southeast Asia.[1]
Group life
Roosts in groups that can reach thousands. Nocturnal.[1]
Babies
One pup.[1]
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN Red List, assessed 2021).[2]

Fun facts

  • Flying foxes don't use echolocation; they find food by sight and smell.[1]
  • Mothers fly with their pups for the first few weeks.[1]
  • They fan themselves with their wings to cool off.[1]

Vocabulary

megabat
A large fruit-eating bat, also called a fruit bat or flying fox.
echolocation
Finding things by making sounds and listening for echoes.
roost
A place where bats or birds rest.
pollinator
An animal that carries pollen from flower to flower.
endangered
A conservation label meaning a species faces a very high risk of dying out in the wild.

See it in person

These zoos had this animal when we gathered our information, but animals sometimes move. Check the zoo's website or contact the zoo before you visit.

Sources

  1. [1] Oakland Zoo. “Malayan Flying Fox.” https://www.oaklandzoo.org/animals/malayan-flying-fox/ (accessed 2026-10-02)
  2. [2] IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. “Pteropus vampyrus (Large Flying-fox).” https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18766/22088824 (accessed 2026-10-02)

Facts last checked 2026-10-02.

More Bats

Island Flying FoxPteropus hypomelanusSeba's Short-Tailed BatCarollia perspicillata