The Rodriguez flying fox (Pteropus rodricensis) is a critically endangered flying fox (a type of bat with fox-like features belonging to the Suborder Megachiroptera). It feeds on fruit so is also referred to as a fruit bat (or Old World fruit bat). The Rodriguez flying fox squeezes juice and pulp from fruit, usually leaving seeds and other tough portions of the fruit uneaten.
The Rodriguez flying fox grows to lengths of up to 14 inches and weights of about 10 ounces. It roosts in groups, sometimes up to several hundred bats. Unfortunately, its numbers were much greater in the past but now hunting and habitat destruction have reduced the wild population of Rodriguez flying foxes to low levels.
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- Diet: fruit (mangoes, rose-apples, figs)
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Classification:
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Chiroptera
- Suborder: Megachiroptera
- Family: Pteropodidae
- Subfamily: Pteropodinae
- Genus: Pteropus
- Species: Pteropus rodriguez
Where to See:
Inhabits Rodriguez Island in the Indian Ocean. Lives and forages in woodlands.
References:
- Burnie D, Wilson DE. 2001. Animal. London: Dorling Kindersley. 624 p.
- Myers P. 2001. Pteropodidae. Animal Diversity Web. November 30, 2008.
