Check out these absolutely gorgeous photos of an Indian flying fox—what Animal Fact Files calls the "big boi of the skies"—soaring through the air while carrying a pup, captured by nature photographer Hemant Kumar, who is based in Bangalore, India.
According to this video posted by Mongabay India, flying foxes are nocturnal mammals with fox-life faces that eat fruit and nectar, and help with the seed dispersal process. India has at least 128 recorded species of bats, and the Indian flying fox is one of India's 14 fruit bat species. It's also the largest of all bats in mainland India. During summer the bats use their large wings to fan themselves to keep themselves cool, and in the winter they wrap their wings around their bodies to trap heat and keep themselves warm. During the monsoon season, they create waterproof wings by secreting an oily coating. Unlike many other bats who use echolocation, the flying foxes don't, rather, they rely on their giant eyes and sense of smell to navigate at night.
For more facts and video of these cute flying foxes, check out this video from Animal Fact Files.
