Within the order Chiroptera are the suborders Megachiroptera (the fruit bats) and Microchiroptera (the insectivorous bats). The only family within the Megachiroptera are the flying foxes (Pteropodidae), which includes Pteropus and 41 other genera (Eaton, 2001). There are approximately 60 species of Pteropus .
Protein electrophoresis of genetic material from three individuals has confirmed the potential for hybridization between P. alecto and P. poliocephalus. One individual was definitely conceived in the wild (Webb and Tidemann, 1995).
Author: S. Cobey.