Journal Entry:
23 June 2020
7:24 AM (GMT)

 

As I entered the camp an ominous sign warned of snakes in the area. My first observation, as I moved along the trail, was a noisy chatter which grew almost deafening as I walked closer to the dense grove of tall trees.

 

Standing in the middle of the path, I looked up into the tree canopy, and could see outlines of hundreds (maybe thousands) of furry creatures. They began to move, the chatter grew louder, a cacophony of other sounds began to emerge, and without warning... these animals started literally dropping out of the trees! "They’re coming down" I shouted to Percy Pandamonium (my photographer) – “get your camera ready!"

 

Yes, one-by-one they started dropping out of the trees - and took to the air! They were flying!

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Are the Bears Down Under flying bears??

 

Not quite. What I actually found were flying foxes. Foxes that fly? Come again?? Noooo - they are not foxes at all! And they were not bears. They are the world’s largest bats (megabats)!! 

 

Picture an animal that has wide, leathery wings and a face that

looks like a fox, and you’ll understand what a flying fox bat

looks like. This animal has a pointy nose, big eyes, and short

ears sticking above its head. They are covered with dark fur

and have long toes that are good for grabbing hold of tree

branches. The body is about a foot long, and its wings can

be three to six feet across. Come naptime, flying foxes roost

in trees, where they form noisy clusters. When one bat grows

restless, he or she will often abandon the clique and fly several

miles away in search of new friends to (literally) hang with. So

all that research was not about ABTS it was about BATS. It

was a typo in the book I read!

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I may not have found the Bears Down Under, but I did find 

gentle giants (megabats) with a misleading name (flying foxes). 

 

Professor PJ

 

Note: As I was leaving the Flying Fox camp I stumbled upon a strange locked box.

I'm in search of a  key to open it. 

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