Despite rejecting the majority of the publication, the ICZN decided to conserve a dozen generic names from the work and retain Brisson as authority, including Pteropus.

tokudae P. pelagicus P. scapulatus P. lombocensis P. livingstonii P. voeltzkowi P. dasymallus P. pumilus P. rodricensis P. vampyrus P. lylei P. medius P. aldabrensis P. rufus P. seychellensis* P. niger* P. seychellensis* P. niger* P. pselaphon P. capistratus P. ennisae P. vetulus P. nitendiensis P. tuberculatus P. anetianus P. samoensis P. fundatus P. rayneri P. rennelli P. cognatus P. poliocephalus P. ornatus P. hypomelanus* P. griseus P. speciosus P. hypomelanus* P. neohibernicus P. conspicillatus P. alecto P. tonganus P. ualanus P. admiralitatum P. pohlei P. mariannus P. pelewensis* P. yapensis P. pelewensis* Flying fox species vary in body weight, ranging from 120–1,600 g (0.26–3.53 lb).

Compared to adults, young flying foxes have very short snouts; as they reach maturity, the maxilla elongates, gaining bone between the zygomatic processes and the canine teeth.

Though they have wide-ranging movements and cover thousands of square kilometers annually, they are consistently able to locate the same resource patches and roosts.

They can also be conditioned to perform behaviors, such as one study where spectacled flying foxes were trained to pull a lever using juice as a reinforcement.

[27] Melonycteris Nyctimene Pteralopex Eidolon Acerodon Pteropus Notopteris Aproteles Dobsonia Syconycteris Macroglossus Cynopterus Megaerops Ptenochirus Thoopterus Chironax Aethalops Balionycteris Eonycteris Stenonycteris Rousettus Epomops Epomophorus Micropteropus Megaloglossus Lissonycteris Myonycteris Flying foxes are poorly represented in the fossil record.

Phylogenetic analysis indicates that flying foxes diversified rapidly in an explosive evolutionary radiation, creating many taxa in a relatively short time frame.

Flying foxes likely originated on mainland Asia; molecular data suggests that there were at least three colonization events into the Indian Ocean.

[35][36] Opposite-sex oral sex is associated with increased duration of intercourse, while same-sex fellatio is hypothesized to encourage colony formation of otherwise-antagonistic males in colder climates.

[39][40] They cling to their mothers' abdomens, gripping her fur with their thumb claws and teeth; females carry the pups for the first several weeks of life.

Most flying foxes are seasonal breeders and give birth in the spring, though the Mariana fruit bat seems to have aseasonal breeding with new pups documented throughout the year.

[55] In Australia, eucalypt blossoms and pollen are preferred food sources, followed by Melaleuca and Banksia flowers [56] They feed on a wide variety of crops as well, causing conflicts with farmers.

Crops eaten by flying foxes include sisal, cashew, pineapple, areca, breadfruit, jackfruit, neem, papaya, citrus, fig, mango, banana, avocado, guava, sugar cane, tamarind, grapes, and more.

[63] Individual species have different legal protections from hunting and domestic trade that reflect the environmental laws of the countries where they are found.

[64] In other countries, such as Australia, Japan, and the United States, some species of conservation concern are protected under national environmental legislation, while others are not.

[69] The Bonin flying fox and P. d. daitoensis are also listed as National Endangered Species, meaning that they cannot be killed or harmed; furthermore, the sale or transfer of live or dead individuals in whole or part is also prohibited without permits.

[45] This decision was viewed with controversy, with researchers stating "Because they spread seeds and pollinate flowers, flying foxes are vital for regenerating lost forests.

[64] Flying foxes species are declining or going extinct as a result of several human impacts to their environments, in addition to natural phenomena.

Even when nearly every female (90%) successfully produces and raises young, if a population's mortality rate exceeds 22% annually, then it will steadily decline.

[79] Flying foxes are threatened by sea level rise associated with climate change, as several taxa are endemic to low-lying atolls.

Food resources for the bats become scarce after major storms, and flying foxes resort to riskier foraging strategies such as consuming fallen fruit off the ground.

Despite being in Muslim-majority Indonesia, North Sulawesi is predominately Christian; therefore, many locals do not follow halal guidelines prohibiting flying fox consumption.

[3] Tribes in the Attappadi region of India eat the cooked flesh of the Indian flying fox to treat asthma and chest pain.

[95] Healers of the Kanda tribe of Bangladesh use hair from Indian flying foxes to create treatments for "fever with shivering.

Flying foxes have been cited as particularly destructive to almonds, guavas, and mangoes in the Maldives; lychee in Mauritius; areca in India; and stone fruits in Australia.

In Batemans Bay, Australia, locals report being so disturbed by flying fox vocalizations in the morning that they lose sleep.

A folklore Dreamtime story from the New South Wales North Coast in Australia features an impatient flying fox wanting the Great Spirit to teach him how to be a bird, only to be hung upside down on a branch.

If locals believe that they have offended Muni by failing to protect the bats, they will pray and perform puja after offering sweet rice, coconut, and bananas to those attending the ceremony.

The mummified bodies or skeletons of these bats are often shipped to the United States where they are sold in souvenir or curiosity shops or online through vendors such as Etsy or eBay.

Bat conservationist Merlin Tuttle wrote, "I've seen huge losses, mostly due to various kinds of over-harvesting, especially at cave entrances, either for food or for sale as mummies."