As if right on cue for today’s National Threatened Species Day, a rare type of flying-fox has been spotted by Sunshine Coast Council officers.
The male leucistic Grey-headed flying-fox – dubbed the ‘flying Migaloo’ – was found recently during routine monitoring of the coastal and lowland urban roosts of the Sunshine Coast.
Leucism is a condition in which there is a partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy colouration of the skin, hair, feathers, scales or cuticles, but not the eyes.
Leucistic animals are more vulnerable to predators due to their colouration and it is unusual for them to survive to adulthood.
Environment Portfolio Councillor Jenny McKay said an Environment Levy funded study into flying-foxes enabled the rare creature to be discovered.
“Made possible by the Environment Levy, this pioneering research and monitoring program enables Council to build knowledge on the Sunshine Coast Flying-fox populations to inform and improve Flying-fox management in the region,” Cr McKay said.
“Our own ‘flying Migaloo’ is easy to identify and it’s hoped Council can learn more about his movement patterns as he tours the Sunshine Coast.
“Flying-foxes are vital to the long term survival of our native forests because of their role in long distance pollination and seed dispersal.
“With National Threatened Species Day on Monday September 7, it’s appropriate to highlight that the Grey-headed Flying-foxes are listed as vulnerable and nationally protected under the Environment Protection & Biodiversity Conservation Act.”
National Threatened Species Day is held on September 7 each year, commemorating the death of the last Tasmanian tiger at Hobart Zoo in 1936.
