Heatwaves kill flying foxes

This article recently appeared in "The Conversation"

Heat relief: on hot days, flying foxes - like this grey-headed flying fox - dip their bellies into water to cool down. Photo Nick Edards

This summer we have seen one of the most dramatic animal die-offs ever recorded in Australia: at least 45,500 flying foxes dead on just one extremely hot day in southeast Queensland, according to our new research.

While flying foxes are often portrayed as noisy pests, they are protected native species, and declines in their populations have significant environmental ramifications as they spread seeds and pollinate native trees.

http://theconversation.com/killer-climate-tens-of-thousands-of-flying-foxes-dead-in-a-day-23227