The scientific community fears that the pandemic could harm the colonies of this species in the wild because it belongs to the family of bats.

At Terra Natura in Benidorm we have registered the birth of three new flying foxes (Pteropus lylei), a species considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and protected by CITES. The colony of this species that lives in the park currently has 34 specimens.

Flying foxes belong to the Chiroptera order, which also includes bats. These animal families are related to coronavirus reservoirs and have been singled out as originating SARS-CoV-2, so the scientific community is concerned about the impact that the pandemic could have on government and public perception of bats where in some cases, their colonies are being destroyed, which has already happened in some countries.

The three babies flying foxes born in Terra Natura Benidorm weigh around 110-120 grams and measure between 60 and 100 millimetres. They come from three different mothers and are totally dependent on them. In fact, mothers are very protective and cover them with their wings to protect and give them warmth. When they are too big to carry them, they start to leave them in the colony with the rest of the members. To get together again, they make vocalizations which identify each mother-baby pair, and the smell is also characteristic of each one, so the mother recognises it by sniffing it.

The scientific name of this species comes from the Greek and means “hand wing”. These are the only mammals with the ability to fly. Their wing is a modification of the hand, and they can be raised thanks to a thin and flexible membrane of skin that covers the bones. Flying foxes, unlike other bats, do not emit echolocations and do not hibernate, keeping their body temperature constant.