How long do flying-foxes live?
Little is known about what age the majority of flying-foxes reach in the wild. Records of banded flying-foxes indicate that some live for up-to 12 years in the wild. The oldest captive educational Grey-headed flying-fox, cared for by Ku-ring-gai Bat Conservation Society, was born in 1978 and died of old age in 2000 – aged 22. Several others have lived to a similar age in captivity. Natural disasters such as the high temperatures, over 40C, and low humidity which occurred in Sydney in January 2002, killed thousands of flying-foxes of all ages.
