Indian Flying Fox
Indian Flying FoxIndian Flying FoxIndian Flying FoxIndian Flying Fox

Indian Flying Fox

Pteropus medius

Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic

Least ConcernNear ThreatenedVulnerableEndangeredCritically Endangered
Daily sighting probability ~40% · Likely
at Ranthambore National Park
22 Verified sightings at Ranthambore National Park From 2019 to 2026
257 Verified sightings across all 12 parks From 2019 to 2026
December Best month highest sighting rate
☀️ Diurnal When it's spotted during daytime hours (6am–6pm)

About the Indian Flying Fox

The Indian flying fox (Pteropus medius), also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox native to the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the largest bats in the world. It is of interest as a disease vector, as it is capable of transmitting several viruses to humans. It is nocturnal and feeds mainly on ripe fruits, such as mangoes and bananas, and nectar. This species is often regarded as vermin due to its destructive tendencies towards fruit farms, but the benefits of its pollination and seed propagation often outweigh the impacts of its fruit consumption.

The Indian flying fox was described as a new species by Dutch zoologist and museum curator Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1825 who gave it the scientific name Pteropus medius. Confusion over the name has prevailed in the literature as in 1782 Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich, gave the scientific name Vespertilio gigantea as a replacement for Vespertilio vampyrus Linnaeus (1758: 31).

He was specifically referring to Linnaeus's use of Vespertillo vampyrus. Carl Linnaeus had previously classified the species as Pteropus vampyrus and as such gigantea could not be used for a species... Wikipedia →

Global Distribution

Warmer areas are where this animal is recorded most often.

Parks Where Found

# Park Country Daily sighting probability
1 Keoladeo National Park 🇮🇳 India
~80%
2 Yala National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
~50%
3 Ranthambore National Park 🇮🇳 India
~40%
4 Bandipur National Park 🇮🇳 India
~10%
5 Kaziranga National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
6 Wilpattu National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
7 Satpura National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
8 Kanha National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
9 Minneriya National Park 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
Insufficient data
10 Bandhavgarh National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data
11 Royal Bardia National Park 🇳🇵 Nepal
Insufficient data
12 Nagarhole National Park 🇮🇳 India
Insufficient data

Quick answers

What are the chances of seeing a Indian Flying Fox in Ranthambore National Park?

About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Indian Flying Fox sighting in Ranthambore National Park, based on 22 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.

When is the best time to see Indian Flying Fox in Ranthambore National Park?

December has the highest sighting rate for Indian Flying Fox in Ranthambore National Park in our monthly data.

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