CreatureData

Large flying fox

Pteropus vampyrus (Linnaeus, 1758)

ENEndangeredbats

The large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) is a species in the family Pteropodidae, order Chiroptera. Recorded adults weigh 804.2 g to 944.7 g and live up to 35.7 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus)
Photo: user:Raul654 · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the large flying fox

Weight
804.2 g – 944.7 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
18.5 years – 35.7 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Longest recorded lifespan
40.8 years
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Gestation
156 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 months – 12.5 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the large flying fox live?

Not recorded

What is the large flying fox?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus), also known as the greater flying fox, Malayan flying fox, Malaysian flying fox, large fruit bat, kalang, or kalong, is a southeast Asian species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. Despite its scientific name, it feeds exclusively on fruits, nectar, and flowers, like the other flying foxes of the genus Pteropus. It is noted for being one of the largest bats. As with nearly all other Old World fruit bats, it lacks the ability to echolocate but compensates for it with well-developed eyesight.

From the Wikipedia article “Large flying fox” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Large_flying_fox&oldid=1384589245), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the large flying fox endangered?

The large flying fox is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species.

How is the large flying fox classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderChiroptera
  5. familyPteropodidae
  6. genusPteropus
  7. SpeciesPteropus vampyrus (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Pteropus caninus, Pteropus celaeno, Pteropus funereus, Pteropus giganteus, Pteropus intermedius, Pteropus javanicus, Pteropus kalou, Pteropus kelaarti, Pteropus kopangi, Pteropus malaccensis, Pteropus nudus, Pteropus phaiops, Pteropus pteronotus, Vespertilio gigantea

Other names and names in other languages (38)
  • Flying dogEnglish
  • Greater flying foxEnglish
  • KalongEnglish
  • Large flying-foxEnglish
  • Large flying-foxEnglish
  • Malayan flying foxEnglish
  • Malaysian flying foxEnglish
  • Kalong-FliaghundBavarian
  • kaloň malajskýCzech
  • Gemeiner Großer FlughundGerman
  • Malayischer RiesenflughundGerman
  • Zorro Volador De Cuello RojoSpanish
  • isolenkkoFinnish
  • IsolentäväkoiraFinnish
  • Roussette communeFrench
  • Roussette de MalaisieFrench
  • Óriás repülőkutyaHungarian
  • PaingIndonesian
  • Bengkawat (Kalimantan)Indonesian
  • KalongIndonesian
  • Kalong BesarIndonesian
  • Volpe volante maleseItalian
  • ジャワオオコウモリJapanese
  • 말레이날여우박쥐Korean
  • KalongasLithuanian
  • Malajinė skraidančioji lapėLithuanian
  • Keluang BesarMalay
  • Gewone Vliegende HondDutch
  • Rudawka malajskaPolish
  • Гигантская летучая лисицаRussian
  • Kang Kao Mae KaiThai
  • ค้างคาวแม่ไก่ป่าฝนThai
  • Khangkao Maekai Pafon (ค้างคาวแม่ไก่ป่าฝน)Thai
  • КалонгUkrainian
  • Dơi quạVietnamese
  • Dơi ngựa lớnVietnamese
  • Dơi quạ lớnVietnamese
  • 馬來大狐蝠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the large flying fox

Other species in the same genus Pteropus.

CompareLarge flying fox vs Giant fruit batLarge flying fox vs Livingstone's fruit batLarge flying fox vs Mariana fruit batLarge flying fox vs Rodrigues flying fox

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the large flying fox?

An adult large flying fox weighs 804.2 g – 944.7 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the large flying fox endangered?

The large flying fox is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

How long does the large flying fox live?

The large flying fox has a recorded lifespan of 18.5 years – 35.7 years.

How long is the large flying fox pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 156 days.

What kind of animal is the large flying fox?

The large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) belongs to the family Pteropodidae in the order Chiroptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-flying-fox

MLA

“Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-flying-fox.

BibTeX
@misc{large_flying_fox_2026,
  title = {Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/large-flying-fox},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}