Found in Australia's eastern and southeastern coast in rain forests, the grey headed flying fox is known for being the biggest of the flying fox species and can have a wing span of about 3 feet. These graceful fliers show with the way they collide into trees and other objects that crash landing is also an acceptable form of landing. Flying foxes are highly sociable animals and live in huge colonies. On my “Sleeping Greyheaded Flying Fox” within the center two wing folds, you might be able to see abstract flying foxes flapping their wings and some upside down sleeping.
These lovers of all natural sweets including fruits, nectar, and blossoms are also called fruit bats. By eating all those sweet treats including figs and getting their grey furry faces and red neck fur covered in pollen, these fruit bats have become vital pollinators and distributors of seeds. I have placed leaves and little fig fruits where my Flying Fox’s reproductive organs would be and where it would excrete waste. It’s funny that we might say "Eww! Bat poop" but, an Australian rain forest plant views it more as a stork delivering its little seedlings to new homes. In the outer wing folds, I created an abstract study of the Moreton Bay Fig tree or the Australian banyan tree limbs and roots. This tree lives in the rain forests that the flying foxes live in and produces fig fruit. On the right most wing fold, you can see the abstract study of the branches. The left most wing fold shows this tree's buttress roots. Because of nutrient poor soil in rain forests, this tree’s roots grow above ground. Above ground roots are not very supportive to a growing tree so to prevent these trees from falling over buttress roots grow from the tree's trunk to anchor the tree. When these trees get big, they look, to me, like multiple trees growing out of one tree. In 2001, the Grey headed flying fox was listed as vulnerable or threatened due to the fast decline in its population size. Urbanization and deforestation of their habitat contributed to this. They have adapted to living in some urban areas but are still listed as vulnerable and are still protected. Links to learn More! https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/topics/animals-and-plants/native-animals/native-animal-facts/flying-foxes/flying-fox-a-threatened-species Explaining conservation status: Vulnerable https://australianmuseum.net.au/learn/animals/bats/grey-headed-flying-fox/ https://www.aqua.org/Experience/Animal-Index/grey-headed-flying-fox https://aqua.org/blog/2014/october/creature-feature-grey-headed-flying-fox https://youtu.be/MbhFKcqNFUU Slowmotion flying and fun facts https://www.edtechlens.com/blog/rainforest-kids-science-stand-me-buttress-roots Learning about Buttress roots I am not a wildlife biologist, zoologist, botanist, nor scientist of any kind, I just love learning about animals. All the animal research I do is online and through videos so I might get stuff wrong. If I get something wrong, let me know so I can learn something new!
0 Comments
|
Artist and Blogger
I'm just a doodling artist. My current style started in a lecture class at MCLA where I began doodling in my notebooks. Now I've started a new series focusing on animals. Archives
April 2021
Categories
All
|