Mariana Fruit Bat
Encyclopedia
The Mariana Fruit Bat also known as the Mariana flying fox, and the fanihi in Chamorro
is a megabat
that is found only on Guam
, the Northern Mariana Islands
and Ulithi
(an atoll
in the Caroline Islands
). Habitat loss has driven it to endangered status and it is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Poachers and food hunters harmed this bat as well as other animals and natural causes.
The Mariana Fruit Bat is a mid-sized bat which weighs between 0.6 to 1.1 lbs (33 - 57.7 dag), and has a forearm length of 5.3 to 6.1 inches (13.4 to 15.6 cm). Males of the species are slightly larger in size than the females. Their abdomens are colored from black to brown, while also having gray hairs. The mantle and the neck are a brighter brown to golden brown color and the head varies from brown to black. Their ears are rounded and their eyes large, giving it the features of a canid, and it is from this that many Megabats are called Flying Foxes.
The bat is a culinary delicacy by the Chamorros
of Guam and is linked to neurological disease called Lytico-Bodig disease
. Paul Alan Cox
from the Hawaiian National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo, and Oliver Sacks
from Albert Einstein College
in New York
, found out that the bats consumed large quantities of cycad
seeds, and - like some eagles, which were shown to build up levels of the pesticide DDT
in fat tissue - probably accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels.
The current population numbers as are of yet unobtained.
Chamorro language
Chamorro is a Malayo-Polynesian language, spoken on the Mariana Islands by about 47,000 people Chamorro (Chamorro: Fino' Chamoru or simply Chamoru) is a Malayo-Polynesian (Austronesian) language, spoken on the Mariana Islands (Guam, Rota, Tinian, and Saipan) by about 47,000 people Chamorro...
is a megabat
Megabat
Megabats constitute the suborder Megachiroptera, family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera . They are also called fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes.-Description:...
that is found only on Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, the Northern Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
and Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
(an atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
in the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
). Habitat loss has driven it to endangered status and it is listed as threatened by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Poachers and food hunters harmed this bat as well as other animals and natural causes.
The Mariana Fruit Bat is a mid-sized bat which weighs between 0.6 to 1.1 lbs (33 - 57.7 dag), and has a forearm length of 5.3 to 6.1 inches (13.4 to 15.6 cm). Males of the species are slightly larger in size than the females. Their abdomens are colored from black to brown, while also having gray hairs. The mantle and the neck are a brighter brown to golden brown color and the head varies from brown to black. Their ears are rounded and their eyes large, giving it the features of a canid, and it is from this that many Megabats are called Flying Foxes.
The bat is a culinary delicacy by the Chamorros
Chamorros
The Chamorro people, or Chamoru people, are the indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which include the American territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, significant Chamoru populations also exist in several U.S. states...
of Guam and is linked to neurological disease called Lytico-Bodig disease
Lytico-Bodig disease
Lytico-Bodig disease, sometimes spelled Lytigo-bodig is a neurological disease of uncertain aetiology that exists in the United States territory of Guam....
. Paul Alan Cox
Paul Alan Cox
Dr. Paul Alan Cox is an ethnobotanist whose scientific research focuses on the ecology of island plants and the uses of plants by island peoples. After receiving his B.S. in Botany from Brigham Young University, he was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship to read for his M.Sc. in Ecology at the...
from the Hawaiian National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo, and Oliver Sacks
Oliver Sacks
Oliver Wolf Sacks, CBE , is a British neurologist and psychologist residing in New York City. He is a professor of neurology and psychiatry at Columbia University, where he also holds the position of Columbia Artist...
from Albert Einstein College
Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Albert Einstein College of Medicine is a graduate school of Yeshiva University. It is a not-for-profit, private, nonsectarian medical school located on the Jack and Pearl Resnick Campus in the Morris Park neighborhood of the borough of the Bronx of New York City...
in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, found out that the bats consumed large quantities of cycad
Cycad
Cycads are seed plants typically characterized by a stout and woody trunk with a crown of large, hard and stiff, evergreen leaves. They usually have pinnate leaves. The individual plants are either all male or all female . Cycads vary in size from having a trunk that is only a few centimeters...
seeds, and - like some eagles, which were shown to build up levels of the pesticide DDT
DDT
DDT is one of the most well-known synthetic insecticides. It is a chemical with a long, unique, and controversial history....
in fat tissue - probably accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels.
The current population numbers as are of yet unobtained.
Subspecies
This species has three subspecies- Pteropus mariannus mariannus (Guam Mariana Fruit Bat)
- Pteropus mariannus paganensis (Pagan Mariana Fruit Bat)
- Pteropus mariannus ulthiensis (Ulithi Mariana Fruit Bat)
External links
- "Endangered Species in the Pacific Islands: Mariana Fruit Bats / Fanihi", U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service Pacific Islands Fish & Wildlife Office