The Pemba flying fox (''Pteropus voeltzkowi'') is a species of

flying fox ''Pteropus'' (suborder Yinpterochiroptera) is a genus of megabats which are among the largest bats in the world. They are commonly known as fruit bats or flying foxes, among other colloquial names. They live in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Aust ...

in the family Pteropodidae. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

to the island of Pemba on the coast of

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

Description

The Pemba flying fox has a wingspan of and is one of the largest species of fruit bat. It has a fox-like face, tawny fur, orange underparts and black ears, nose and wings. The adult weight is , and the head and body length is .

Distribution and habitat

The Pemba flying fox occurs only on Pemba, an island about off the coast of Tanzania. Roosts occur in large trees in both primary and secondary forest, among mangroves, and in traditional graveyards. In the latter the bats are often safe and undisturbed as people seldom visit these places because of

taboo A taboo is a social group's ban, prohibition or avoidance of something (usually an utterance or behavior) based on the group's sense that it is excessively repulsive, offensive, sacred or allowed only for certain people.''Encyclopædia Britannica ...

s. There may be up to 850 bats at a single roost.

Biology

Colonies of the Pemba flying fox roost during the day in large trees, emerging at dusk to forage for fruit such as figs, mangoes and breadfruit. They also eat leaves, flowers, pollen and nectar. Seeds that they swallow pass through their guts and are dispersed to other locations. Young seem to be born between June and August and become independent several months later.

Status

The

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natural resources. Founded in 1948, IUCN has become the global authority on the status ...

lists this bat as being " Vulnerable. Its range is limited to the island of Pemba off the coast of Tanzania and it is traditionally hunted for food. This hunting became unsustainable when

shotgun A shotgun (also known as a scattergun, peppergun, or historically as a fowling piece) is a long gun, long-barreled firearm designed to shoot a straight-walled cartridge (firearms), cartridge known as a shotshell, which discharges numerous small ...

s began to be used. Another threat to the bats is the ongoing destruction of their forest habitat. During the early 1990s there were only a few hundred individuals remaining. Conservation measures implemented by the Forestry Department on Pemba include an education campaign, the establishment of wildlife clubs to protect nearby roosts, and continuous monitoring of the population. Also, the hunting of these bats with shotguns is now banned on most of the island. The local population has been involved in conservation measures and bat-based

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...

is producing extra revenue for the island. With these measures in place, the number of bats has increased and by 2007 there were estimated to be about 20,000. The population appears to have continued to increase, with numbers nearing 29,000 in 2011.

References

Sources

* Bergmans, W. 1990. Taxonomy and biogeography of African fruit bats (Mammalia, Megachiroptera). 3. The genera Scotonycteris Matschie, 1894, Casinycteris Thomas, 1910, Pteropus Brisson, 1762, and Eidolon Rafinesque, 1815. Beaufortia 40: 111–177. * Kingdon, J. 1984. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Insectivores and Bats). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2A:140-144. * Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 113. * Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:258-260, 264–271. * Simmons, N.B. 2005. Order Chiroptera, pp. 312–529. In Wilson, D. E., and D. M. Reeder, eds., Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference, 3rd edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore.

External links

Flying Fox Overhead
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1764849 Pteropus Bats of Africa Mammals of Tanzania Endemic fauna of Tanzania Pemba Island Mammals described in 1909 Taxa named by Paul Matschie Taxonomy articles created by Polbot