Little Mariana Fruit Bat

Pteropus tokudae

Description

The little Mariana fruit bat, also known as the Guam flying-fox, the Guam fruit bat, and the fanini, was a medium-sized tropical bat. It had a body length of 5.5-6.0 in (14-15 cm) and a wingspan of 25-28 in (65-71 cm). Its abdomen and wings were brown to dark-brown, the back and sides of the neck varied from brown to pale gold, the top of the head was grayish to yellowish-brown, and the throat and chin were dark-brown.

Behavior

The little Mariana fruit bat once lived in large colonies. The bats slept during much of the day, but performed many activities such as grooming, breeding, scent marking, flying, climbing to roosting places, and defending roosting territories (only harem-holding males did the latter). Bats gradually departed their colony for several hours after sunset to forage widely, primarily on fruits.

Habitat

The little Mariana fruit bat foraged and roosted in native tropical forest on limestone, and sometimes in coconut groves, strand forest, and ravine forest.

Distribution

The little Mariana fruit bat was found on the islands of Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands, and was known to fly among those islands, forming a single population.

Threats

The little Mariana fruit bat was always considered rare. The last confirmed sighting of this species was made in 1968. Some scientists and the IUCN, consider the species to be extinct. It was excessively hunted by indigenous people as food, particularly after firearms were introduced during and after the Second World War. The rare bat also suffered the loss of most of its tropical-forest habitat through agricultural development and military activities, coupled with destruction during warfare and typhoons. Many of the last of these bats may have been predated by the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis ), which was inadvertently introduced to Guam and the Marianas by hitch-hiking on military ships.

Conservation and Recovery

The little Mariana fruit bat has not been seen since 1968, and is considered extinct.

Contacts

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Regional Office, Division of Endangered Species
Eastside Federal Complex
911 N. E. 11th Ave.
Portland, Oregon 97232-4181
(503) 231-6121
http://pacific.fws.gov/

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services
300 Ala Moana Blvd, Room 3-122
P. O. Box 50088
Honolulu, Hawaii 96850
Telephone: (808) 541-3441
Fax: (808) 541-3470

Reference

U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 2000. Mariana Fruit Bats/Fanihi. http://www.r1.fws.gov/pacific/wesa/marianabatindex.html