Flying Foxes of Wat Phnom
- Jay Alexander
- Jan 17, 2024
- 3 min read
Being in the tropical conservation biology community, I knew what to expect: a tree in the city of Phnom Penh, Cambodia filled with the mega bats known as flying foxes. But to see the grandeur in person is a whole other level. On a giant, sparsely leaved tree, thousands of bats hanging upside down, climbing along branches, flying from one side to the next, relaxing, socializing, quarreling, nursing their young and mating all for the world to see. And all without a long hike into the jungle. I have seen bats of various sizes, even a few mega bats since arriving in South East Asia, but nothing yet of this magnitude. For the passing tourist, who came to visit the picturesque Buddhist temple of Wat Phnom, I imagine it was even more of a shock, being that this tree is not an advertised tourist destination. But it should be. As I photographed and filmed with my partner, tourists stopped in their tracks, mouth agape trying to understand what they are looking at. But not only did this tree have thousands of bats, but it also had Wreathed Hornbills and Great Hornbills perched in the tree among the madness. Hornbills have been documented to occasionally eat bats. But these seemed to be getting along more or less, maybe they prefer one size smaller than a flying fox. Specifically here the Lyle’s Flying Fox (Pteropus lylei). And when they began to circle the tree nearing dusk, the sight was truly breathtaking.
Just as impressive for me was how could so many wild animals survive in a chaotic city environment such as this? Constant traffic, loud motorcycles and all the chemical and noise pollution that comes with it. In general, bats usually have very poor eyesight, so they use echolocation to navigate with powerful, highly sensitive ears. With that much noise it could potentially hurt some bat species. But flying foxes are different and do not use echolocation. They have large eyes, that function like binoculars which allows them to see during the day and in low light situations. With their long snouts, they also use their powerful sense of smell to locate food. They also distinguish each other by scent, with mothers locating the pups by scent and partners identifying their mate by scent. Males in particular, have enlarged androgen-sensitive sebaceous glands located on their should which they use for marking their territory, especially during mating season. Part of the reason these bats are able to survive in the city is because every night, on the search for fruiting trees, they travel up to 50 kilometers into the countryside and jungle looking for food.
The sight, the Wat Phnom tree, turned out to be so fantastic that I had to return for a second day to get more photos. This time arriving earlier in the afternoon as the bats fanned themselves with their black wings to keep cool in the tropical heat. As I clicked away, an older local stopped and said “you know, we used eat these… but now it is illegal to harm these bats.” Yes, the times are changing, and just as many Cambodians and as tourists stopped to take a look at this magnificent tree. And other’s who worked in the area looked at me with pride, as I took photos totally hypnotized by the beauty of the Lyle’s Flying Fox.
See our flying fox Youtube video for a closer look:
Lyle's Flying Foxes flapping their wings to cool off in the tropical sun of Cambodia.
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