Pteropus, also known as the flying fox, is one of my favorite inhabitants of Sydney. The “foxes” are really fruit bats, with meter-wide wingspans and a taste for figs and mosquitos. They don’t echo-locate like smaller bats, but they do have a distinctive chirp, like a tongue click in some alien language. Pteropus also has a pleasant musky smell, like a faraway skunk in those moments before you realize what you’re smelling.
For the next couple of weeks, we’re staying within view of the Royal Botanical Gardens, which swarms every evening with foxes heading out to the suburbs. Dusk is prime mosquito hunting time, of course.
Here’s the view from our balcony, with the Opera House peeking out from the trees. In the top right, the first bat of the evening has just taken wing.
After many tries, I managed to catch one whizzing just overhead . . .
In close-up, you can see the mammalian skeletal structure—the tiny feet and the vestigial fingers sticking out from the wings.
And remember, this thing’s big. Three feet across! Walking at night, we occasionally startle one out of a low tree, and it’s like a leather kite coming to life just over your head.
Anyway, that’s what I’m staring out at these days. Book 1 of Leviathan is in copy-editing, and the research for Book 2 is in full swing . . .
December 22nd, 2008 11:49
yeah first post
December 22nd, 2008 11:53
those are so tight! but id be scared.
OMG LEVIATHAN!!
December 22nd, 2008 11:55
Na na na na na na na na na na na na na na na
BatmAAAAAAn!
Oh, whoops, it’s just another Australian slither. Silly me.
Thanks for the shots, Scott! Can’t wait to read Leviathan.
December 22nd, 2008 12:01
Neato bat pics. It reminds me of this huge eagle looking bird I saw today. I saw it while I was in the car, it was kind of shocking. I always look out the car window but I never see anything interesting.
What is Leviathan about? Have you posted the synopsis?
Read my blog. I just put up some funny pics of action figures from Rudolf The Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Once again, read my blog. Leave a comment, blog lurkers aren’t as much fun.
December 22nd, 2008 12:02
Woah, that’s so cool! I’d probably freak out though. Ha. I so can’t wait for Leviathan!
December 22nd, 2008 12:08
Aww!
I want one as a pet… lol
can’t wait for Leviathan!!!!!
December 22nd, 2008 12:10
dang! You have a nice view… right near the Opera house!!!
reminds me of a bat with that blurry image…
December 22nd, 2008 12:13
Wow, that’s a beautiful creature! (And for once I’m in top 10!!)
And yay! Leviathan! Can’t wait to get my hands on it.
December 22nd, 2008 12:24
The way the image is kind of blurry reminds me of the Big Foot and Loch Ness Monster photos.
Click my name, leave comments (please). Plus check out me and Dahlia’s shared blog http://13andco.blogspot.com
December 22nd, 2008 12:35
Hey Scott,
Have you walked under the trees where they roost in the Botanical Gardens? You might not find the musky smell quite so pleasant there! But I agree–they are cool little dudes. I remember the first time an Irish friend saw them (at Featherdale Wildlife Park where I took her for a one-stop shop of Aussie fauna), she couldn’t believe her eyes–bats, in Ireland, being mouse-sized. I always half expect them to turn up in one of her books. (She’s an author/illustrator and took a stack of photos.)
December 22nd, 2008 12:42
new post=people comment=D
December 22nd, 2008 12:51
those bats sound really big!!! i actually got 2 c a big bat in Disney World!! it probably wasn’t 3 ft., but it was big& a fruit eater…….it was kinda scary!!!=D
December 22nd, 2008 12:55
my nana(scottish grandma) has a friend who lives in Sydney(idk if my spelling is right), last year she went 2 visit her!! she said it was beautiful!!! nana says that grandma is 4 old people, thats why we call her nana!!=D
December 22nd, 2008 13:06
those things would freak me out.
December 22nd, 2008 13:08
wow that bat sounds big. if i saw a bat that large flying in my neighborhood, i’d probably be freaked out.
oh and yay leviathan!
~Aryll-wa
December 22nd, 2008 13:21
16 comment= pretty or bubblehead!!=D
December 22nd, 2008 13:23
good to know…
jk. Book 2. sounds intense! Oooh! How about another Uglies book? Hm? *gives puppy dog eyes*
December 22nd, 2008 13:30
That’s pretty sweet. Your description reminds me of those little mynok things in Star Wars.
*shudders*
I don’t like bats. Haven’t since we had to evict them from our attic.
December 22nd, 2008 14:06
HUGE bats!!! never really got what flying foxes were in MAGIC TO MADNESS. it all makes sense now…
-Lizzy-wa OUT!
December 22nd, 2008 14:15
Wow, awesome. I wish I could see more bats around here (NJ).
December 22nd, 2008 14:37
A view of the Opera house, Flying Foxes, and no sub-zero temperatures. Maybe it’s time I start thinking about moving to Sydney…
December 22nd, 2008 14:38
That’s fawesome, I don’t really see bats where I live. Lots of birds and squirrels and deer but, alas, no bats.
I can’t wait for Leviathan to come out! I know it’s great, coming from you, (no pressure), lol just kidding.
I like bats, especially huge one, too bad I don’t have them here in VA.
December 22nd, 2008 14:50
top 25 not bad yay me i’m finally getting bogus to bubbly tues. yay i’m extatic
December 22nd, 2008 15:02
http://www.ifimages.com/photos/tJtfx4vWxxAp3OKTIubg9rsxXs/author-662/futuristic-city.jpg
i like that kinda makes me think of Leviathan
December 22nd, 2008 15:06
I hate bats. They creep me out. I see some outside at night every once in a while and its scary. I don’t want it to claw my eyes out!!
December 22nd, 2008 15:24
Ha, it was pretty amazing seeing those bats when we went in Australia! We saw them most in the North though. Anyway, I think we ran into one with the car. :S It was really dark and on a really adventurous outback-ish road and there was a huge *bang* and we all screamed like maniacs! Anyway. I kind of liked them.
Oh, and also, I read the chapter from Leviathan in Bogus to Bubbly, and I can’t tell you how much I look forward to it. I have a strange obsession with WWI and II fiction, and this adds the genius of science fiction!
December 22nd, 2008 15:35
Yeah, actually Leviathan didn’t sound that appealing to me, until I read that darn excerpt in Bogus to Bubbly. You authors and your sneaky ways! Now I really can’t wait for it to come out.
December 22nd, 2008 22:28
I get them flying by my window at night here. Not in big swarms like over the freeway, but every night I see a few.
December 23rd, 2008 00:57
there r lots of fruit bats in Michigan in the summer!! they eat the mosquitos!! some poeple i know actually have a bat box on a tree in their backyard.=D
Happy Monday!!!!(i only say that cause there is no school on this monday, which makes it happy) i actually have a life 2day 2! i m going 2 a christmas party(we r not going 2 the dance thankfully) there r only like 5 of us, so we r going 2 the mall or the movies!!=D
December 23rd, 2008 01:10
Gabrielle: how could u hit 1 w/ your car!!(even though if i ever went there the same thing would probably happen 2 me)=D
December 23rd, 2008 02:35
Wow, that’s insane! I would be so scared one was going to attack me!
Hoba-wa: I was thinking the same thing…SLITHERS!!!!
I’m so excited for Leviathan!! It’s almost unbearable!
Australia sounds so cool. Even with scary three-foot bats. (flying fox is the scary part)
Kailyx, I agree with you, no cold would be nice! And pretty views!
Ashley-wa: Happy Monday!! !! !!!!!!!!!!!!(!!)
December 23rd, 2008 02:44
(read the last post’s comments)
Ashley-wa: A heated jacket would be DA BOMB DIGGIDY!!! And awesome Team David shirt (traitor). I hope you enjoy Extras!
Elmo is creeeepaaayyy.
(back to this post)
It would be kind of cool to see a bat..if there was a window and maybe some metal bars in between yourself and it…Sydney looks so cool. I’m sick of snow, it’s up to my knees!! (Take me with youuuu Scott-la!!!)
Everyone have a nice day/evening!
December 23rd, 2008 02:50
coolio!
OMIGOSH MY BDAY IS TOMORROW!
//starts spazzing out//
December 23rd, 2008 02:50
December 23rd, 2008 03:27
That’s really cool and scary at the same time! Can’t wait for Leviathan Scott!
December 23rd, 2008 03:31
Jay-wa: i m enjoying Extras!!! on page 112=D
December 23rd, 2008 03:51
it’s a bat, a bat! hahah bats scare me….
wow that looks cool where you are
and yay for porgress on Liviathan ( i think i spelled it wrong) i can’t wait to read it too bad it dosn’t come out for a long, long time 
December 23rd, 2008 04:38
one time bats attacked us on our boat
it was funny and scary
glad that they were much smaller
December 23rd, 2008 05:21
Btw new blog, change was in my future
December 23rd, 2008 05:28
Awesome new blog Kenzie-La!! I would have been hiding under something if bats were attacking my boat!
Woo! I was building a snow fort! It’s coooold! Have a nice day, again!
December 23rd, 2008 05:31
I like the layout Kenzie-La, the background is all old-timey and awesome looking!
December 23rd, 2008 05:33
cool blog Kenzie-La!!!=D
December 23rd, 2008 05:41
“Oh well thats all, Im gonna have a goldfish bloodbath(which is really just tomato soup and goldfish crackers but sounds cooler this way.)”
I personally don’t like tomato soup, But Kenzie-La, You just made it cool. Lol! That’s totally insane. (goldfish blood-bath muahahahahhahahaha) evilll………..
Went to thinkgeek.com checking it out..
HI Ashley-wa!
December 23rd, 2008 06:03
*hyperventilates*
leviathan! yayyyy
December 23rd, 2008 06:29
Jay-wa: HI! 2 u 2!!! that gold fish thing does sound pretty evil(ew blood) now i m never eating tomato soup(never had it never will) i was looking up cool sayings& found a bunch, but i can’t quite figure out how 2 get them from Word 2 any thing else!! soooo dizzy-making!!!=D how is everybody??
December 23rd, 2008 06:40
Can’t you highlight them, and right click to copy?
December 23rd, 2008 07:05
du na na na na na na na na na na na na
batman!
if im not mistaken, i think those were the bats in indiana jones and the temple of doom. (indy said they were vampire bats, but he said that because the scientific name for these bats is Pteropus vampyrus)
December 23rd, 2008 07:26
who would wanna eat misquitoes?
EWW!
bats r cool
i used to hate them because of a very scaring pic*shutters*
but i think there cool now
December 23rd, 2008 07:27
i cant wait for Leviathan!
EEEEE!
December 23rd, 2008 07:29
and look at those pretty clouds
i just wanna
-eat them
-go to sleep on them
-run thru them
too bad all i can do is look at them=.[
December 23rd, 2008 07:37
oh my gosh, i haven’t comented here for forever and a day…trust me, i’ve been lost in the waves of thought and the forest of choices….whatever, okay, gotta go make pizza.
December 23rd, 2008 09:19
Sweet. Those bats are huge.
YAY! Leviathan is coming closer!
December 23rd, 2008 10:34
Hehe, my brother in law is deathly afraid of bats. He wouldn’t even go and look at them at the zoo. And those were pansy American bats. Rofl.
December 23rd, 2008 11:43
Watch out, those pansy American bats will gum you to death!! (as in they’re trying to bit you, but it tickles, and feels like they’re gnawing on you with their little bat gums) !!!
December 23rd, 2008 11:57
My mom just got me Magic or Madness today (as a present for Hannukah) and I checked your blog and, lo and behold, flying foxes (from MoM…wait…? MOM? *eyetwitch*).
*goes chibi-pompoms on you* LEVIATHAN! LE-VI-A-TH-ANNNN!
December 23rd, 2008 12:01
BTW. Moving to Sydney with ya Scott. Closer to Japan than smelly poxy recession-y US. And it’s summer-r-r-r! It’s so cold her, but it’s the East Coast so it never-rarely snows. D=
And last year when it did, it started raining and became slush. Okay, I officially hate this city. And this state.
December 23rd, 2008 12:22
Ping-la: Hannukah sounds awesome!! Or jewish people do. Everyone blames them for everything, like gremlins or Special Circumstances, But they’re totally cool. Happy Hannukah!! And woo! Magic or Madness!!
December 23rd, 2008 12:29
Thanks, Jay-wa. Hope you don’t go insane from waiting for Christmas.
December 23rd, 2008 13:00
I ALREADY AM!!!! AHH!!!! (It was a very very very short drive…)
December 23rd, 2008 13:00
HAHAHA! Gum you to death? That’s genius! Lmao! Cool, Happy Hannukah!
December 23rd, 2008 13:39
ty…
December 23rd, 2008 13:41
I’m googleing (googling?) the names of the mansions in Pretties, assuming they’re all named after ‘classic-pretties’. Pretty insane.
December 23rd, 2008 16:30
Book 2? *zomg excitement*
December 24th, 2008 03:56
Jay-wa: how do u know what it feels like when an american bat tries 2 bite u?? i haven’t been on since yeaterdey@ 4:00pm!! seperation problems were starting!!!!=D
December 24th, 2008 07:17
Wow, that’s really cool!
Leviathan! Book two? Sweet! ^-^
December 24th, 2008 08:12
Can’t wait for the next book! The bats are kool they remind me of slithers except you can’t kill them with a flashlight.
December 24th, 2008 08:48
2morrow is christmas eve!!!!=D excitement!!!!! ahhhhh!!!=D
December 24th, 2008 09:05
Oooh, they do remind me of Slithers!
December 24th, 2008 09:47
umm…..whats a slither, if u don’t mind me asking???=D
December 24th, 2008 10:01
YOU DON’T KNOW WHAT A SLITHER IS?!?!?!?! (I have no idea what it feels like to b e bitten by a bat. I was just guessing…yeah…:wink:) A slither is a creature in the Blue Time. (Midnighters Series.)
December 24th, 2008 10:28
Yeah, you have to read the Midnighter’s series if you haven’t already!
December 24th, 2008 10:47
yeah, i haven’t read it or seen it @ any book store i go2!!! they have it @ this 1 library, so maybe i’ll read it!! i don’t think american bats have teeth, so gums would b a pretty good guess!!;D yesterday i saw Twilight(again), but this time it was a total SNOOZE FEST!!!! i almost fell asleep, but i knew if i did my Twilight obcessed friend would hit me w/ her purse……so i thought it would b better 2 daydream!!! i was completely zoned out the whole time except in the beginning when i was trying 2 pick up Robert Pattinson’s brittish accent(he’s really good@ hiding it) but that got boring after a while…….i completely felt those 2 hours of my life being wasted on boredom(i would much rather have been reading) okay, i won’t bore u w/ the rest of the story!!!=D
December 24th, 2008 10:56
I thought Twilight the first time was wayy better than the second time. (Even though the first time I was staring at Robert Pattinson…)
Midnighters is utterly amazing.
December 24th, 2008 11:24
did u pick up his accent, cause after the 1st time i saw it i watched this interview & he had a brittish accent!!! i was like OMG i didn’t know he had an accent!! =D
December 24th, 2008 12:03
Yeah, it’s the same thing if you’ve ever seen the tv show House. Hugh Laurie, who plays Dr. House has a major Brit accent, but during the show you can’t tell AT ALL. Am I the only one that totally couldn’t tell he was sparkling in the sun at all the first time? Cuz I could see it the second time he did in the movie. I was like, AND STEPHENIE MY SAID LET THERE BE LIGHT AND THERE WAS EDWARD!
December 24th, 2008 12:04
Oof, not Stephenie My, Stephenie Meyer.
December 24th, 2008 12:26
The only British Edward I care about is Ed Westwick from Gossip Girl. He hides his accent during the TV show, but it just makes his voice ten zillion times sexier.
An extra for now.
December 24th, 2008 12:31
OMG!!! I like can’t wait till Christmas! The tree is sooo full of presents right now and I am sooooo excited to dig in on christmas morning!!! Oh, I hope I hot an i-pod nano…..
December 24th, 2008 13:33
Oh, I know right? I was kind of excited for presents until I actually scouted out the tree and found lots for me. This one from my grandma has the weirdest shape, and now I really want to know what it is!
An extra for now.
December 24th, 2008 13:44
Audrey-sensi: is Ed Westwick the guy who plays Chuck or Nate? i think its Chuck cause i have heard his accent & i was like wow, i had no idea he had an accent(he2 is good@ hiding it)=D
December 24th, 2008 13:54
HaHaHa, I tried to watch Gossip Girl a while back but I had to shut it off cuz I felt my brain starting to melt…lol. But I have to admit, he is hot.
December 24th, 2008 14:17
Tally&Zane: I totally agree with you about Gossip Girl. My sisters watch it and it is SO LAME!!!
(I don’t know if I should keep the ‘wa’ in my name on this blog or not.)
Click my name. I just added some new stuff to my blog. Leave a comment and tell me what you think of the picture behind the blog title at the top.
December 24th, 2008 14:31
It wouldn’t let me post a comment, but that santa thing’s hilarious and I like the pic. It’s cool.
December 24th, 2008 14:39
Whenever my sisters watch Gossip Girl I end up feeling brain-missing and I hate feeling like that.
Click my name.
Can someone tell me if the video on my blog is too much? That would be really nice.
December 24th, 2008 14:40
T&Z: Thanks. No idea why it wouldn’t let you comment. Probably just being wonky.
December 25th, 2008 04:28
wow those things are hudge
Im use to seeing the tiny ones
in the okanogan(which I think are incredibly cute)
and I can’t wait for Leviathan, I NEED smoething to read.
and it seems good from the parts I read in Bogus to bubbly
December 26th, 2008 08:43
Ooo, wow, so they’re like, giant bats?
December 30th, 2008 13:48
i can’t wait for Leviathan! i read the first two chapters in Bogus to Bubbly and is seams really good so far. when does it come out exactly?
December 31st, 2008 03:47
A sequel? YES!!!
January 4th, 2009 08:23
The bottom picture looks like The Bat Signal, only sideways:)
March 4th, 2009 02:18
i have a q about the uglies series do you think you could make them into a movie ??
me and my friends were talking about how cool it would be !!
write back and tell me
-Bailey
May 9th, 2010 18:08
I love Dr. House and i always watch this TV series after my day job.’`’
August 11th, 2010 07:23
I know it sounds really dumb, but I really want to thank Scott for writing those books for us and to give us a role modle such as Tally to look up to and follow. hehe!!!!
September 21st, 2010 13:39
I guess it is. Very good stuff, weird how I found this blog.
January 26th, 2011 22:58
I cant say Im in complete accordance, thanks for showing the initiative to put your ideas down
May 19th, 2011 15:08
batman =))
November 1st, 2011 15:37
Amazing creature.Terrifying thought.