Despite being called a fox, it is not related to foxes at all. It gets its name from its dog-like face, which does look a little fox-y. Flying foxes are actually megabats — the biggest group of bats — and unlike smaller bats they do not use echolocation. Instead, they navigate using their sharp eyes and a good sense of smell.
The flying fox is Mauritius's most important pollinator and seed-spreader for native trees. When it eats fruit, it carries the seeds in its stomach and drops them — sometimes kilometres away — helping forests spread and regrow. Without flying foxes, many native Mauritian trees would struggle to reproduce.
Fruit bats live in large groups called camps, which can gather in big trees and make a lot of noise. If you walk through a forested area in Mauritius and hear a loud squeaking and rustling high up in the trees, look carefully — it might be hundreds of flying foxes settling in for the day.