Not much is known about the Guam flying fox (scientific name: Pteropus tokudae), also called the little Mariana fruit bat, as they we...
Not much is known about the Guam flying fox (scientific name: Pteropus tokudae), also called the little Mariana fruit bat, as they were not extensively studied prior to their extinction. Although many would be frightened to see such a large bat, one need not worry as the Guam flying fox likely fed on only fruits, flowers, and the foliage of evergreen trees. While roosting, the Guam flying fox was known to intermingle with a larger and more common relative, the Marianas flying fox.
At a mere six inches in length, the Guam flying fox had an average wingspan of about 28 inches. Sharing many qualities with its close relative, the Chuuk flying fox, the Guam flying fox had a gray head with a dark brown body, and sometimes had a vibrant golden coloring around their necks. The color of the abdomen and wings were brown with a few white hairs.
The main cause of extinction of the Guam flying fox was due to natives who hunted them for food even though they were already rare. They were considered a delicacy and were harvested whenever a chance occurred. Another large contributing factor to their extinction was the introduction of the brown tree snake, an invasive species native to Australia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Melanesia which decimated the majority their population as well as native bird populations in Guam. Other introductions of exotic species and habitat degradation fueled the demise of the Guam flying fox. By 1968, the last female Guam flying fox was shot and there were no records of sightings afterwards.
- inaturalist.org/taxa/40923-Pteropus-tokudae
- iucnredlist.org/details/18763/0
- invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/bts.shtml
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