Flying Fox of the Future

The gray-headed flying fox is a bat species that lives in tropical forests along southeastern Australia. They are herbivores with diets consisting of fruits, pollen, nectar, and bark. They rely on their large eyes and ears for navigation instead of echolocation, so they are known for their fox-like face structure. Australian forests are threatened by drought and bushfires, which worsen with climate change. At this rate, the bat's habitat will become a mountainous grassland in several hundred years. Through random mutation, these bats might develop stronger claws over time to grasp onto rocks instead of trees. Their diets will need to switch to mostly grasses, so bats that have evolved wide, flat teeth to grind dryer plant material will have an advantage. They would also forage on the ground, so stronger hindlegs for walking and a mottled brown coat for camouflage are necessary.