Big Brown Bat vs large flying fox

Eptesicus fuscus compared with Pteropus vampyrus

Key Differences

• Big Brown Bat is Least Concern while large flying fox is Near Threatened.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Big Brown Bat	large flying fox
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class same	Mammalia (Mammals)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order same	Chiroptera (Bats)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Vespertilionidae	Pteropodidae (Fruit Bats)
Genus	Eptesicus	Pteropus (Flying Foxes)
Species	Eptesicus fuscus	Pteropus vampyrus

Evolutionary Relationship

Big Brown Bat and large flying fox share a common ancestor at the Order level: Chiroptera. (Bats)

Conservation Status

Big Brown Bat

LC — Least Concern

large flying fox

NT — Near Threatened

Trend: Decreasing ↓

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Big Brown Bat	large flying fox
Diet	—	Herbivore
Average Lifespan	—	15 years
Average Length	—	30 cm
Average Weight	—	1.1 kg

Habitat & Geographic Range

Big Brown Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Colombia, Ecuador, United States, and Venezuela.

large flying fox

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, and tropical and subtropical grasslands and savannas, among 6 distinct biome types spanning the Australasia and Indomalayan realms. Populations are also found in montane and highland environments at higher elevations.

Range

Distributed across Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand. Listed as Near Threatened, this species requires ongoing monitoring to prevent population decline.

Big Brown Bat

The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus) is a species in the genus Eptesicus. It is currently classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

large flying fox

The world's largest bat species, large flying foxes have wingspans reaching 1.5 meters and inhabit tropical forests from Southeast Asia to the Philippines and Indonesia. Despite the alarming name, they feed exclusively on fruit and nectar, making them vital pollinators and seed dispersers for tropical forest trees. Roost in massive colonies of thousands. Listed as Vulnerable due to hunting for bushmeat and habitat destruction.