[4] The Indian flying fox was described as a new species by Dutch zoologist and museum curator Coenraad Jacob Temminck in 1825 who gave it the scientific name Pteropus medius.

[8] In 2012, Mlíkovský argued that the correct scientific name of the Indian flying fox should be Pteropus medius rather than P. giganteus.

Some authors who have published on the Indian flying fox since 2012 have accepted this taxonomic revision, using the name Pteropus medius.

As the genus Pteropus is divided into closely related species groups, the Indian flying fox is placed in the vampyrus species group, which also includes the Bonin, Ryukyu, little golden-mantled, Rodrigues, large, Lyle's, Aldabra, Madagascan, Seychelles, and Mauritian flying foxes.

[9] There are currently three recognized subspecies of the Indian flying fox: P. m. ariel G. M. Allen, 1908, P. m. medius Temminck, 1825,[3] and P. m. leucocephalus Hodgson, 1835.

[20] The Indian flying fox ranges in color, with a black back that is lightly streaked with grey, a pale, yellow-brown mantle, a brown head, and dark, brownish underparts.

It has large eyes, simple ears, and no facial ornamentation—a typical appearance for a species of the genus Pteropus.

For example, many residences within the bat's distribution have outdoor gardens that support its generalist frugivorous feeding habits.

This tendency to support a generalist frugivorous diet through habitat selection also leads it to commonly roost in highly fragmented forests, where the variety of plant species allows it to better utilize its feeding habits.

[26] The Indian flying fox roosts communally in the treetops of large trees in camps often with thousands of bats.

[27] The bats fly with the appearance of a large swarm but forage individually, and give off contact calls infrequently.

[31][16] The Indian flying fox is frugivorous or nectarivorous: it eats fruits and blossoms, and it drinks nectar from flowers.

[31] It is relied on for seed propagation by 300 plant species of nearly 200 genera, of which approximately 500 economically valuable products are produced in India.

The Indian flying fox also eats flowers, seed pods, bark, cones, and twigs.

Yellow box eucalyptus and Chinese pistache provide necessary carbohydrates, fats, iron, and phosphorus in the winter.

Among members of the genus Pteropus, pups are carried by the mother for the first few weeks of life, with weaning occurring around 5 months of age.

[35] Both before and after copulation, Indian flying foxes engage in oral sex, with males performing cunnilingus on females.

[37] Like other fruit bats, the Indian flying fox may be a natural reservoir for diseases including certain henipaviruses and flaviviruses.

Indian flying foxes in India and Bangladesh have tested positive for Nipah virus, a type of henipavirus.

[41] In the Maldives, Indian flying foxes are considered major pests of almond, guava, and mango trees.

Indian flying foxes in the Maldives have been culled to protect orchards; some managers advocated reducing their population by 75% every three to four years for optimum control.

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

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

In the Puliangulam village in India, a banyan tree in the middle of local agriculture fields is home to a colony of 500 Indian flying foxes.