---
title: "Indian Flying Fox"
description: "Pteropus medius — Zoogdieren. The Indian flying fox, also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox native to the Indian subcontinent."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/nl/animal/indian-flying-fox
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Indian Flying Fox

> Pteropus medius — Zoogdieren. The Indian flying fox, also known as the greater Indian fruit bat, is a species of flying fox native to the Indian subcontinent.

- Scientific name: *Pteropus medius*
- Category: `mammals` (Zoogdieren)
- Habitats: `forest` (Bos)
- iNaturalist observations: 4777
- iNaturalist taxon: [1641421](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/1641421)

## Names

- en: Indian Flying Fox
- de: Indischer Riesenflughund
- es: Zorro Volador De La India
- fr: Renard volant d'Inde

## Countries with the most observations

IN (2724), LK (940), MV (488), BD (81), NP (60), PK (31), MM (11)

## Summary

The Indian flying fox, 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.

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_flying_fox

## Photo

![Indian Flying Fox](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/indian-flying-fox/medium.jpg)

Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/69252513

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/indian-flying-fox?lang=nl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).