Today we will travel to the Guam to meet endangered flying "fox" - Mariana fruit bat.
Mariana fruit bat
The Mariana fruit bat is a mid-sized bat which weighs 0.6 to 1.1 lb (270 to 500 g), and has a forearm length of 5.3 to 6.1 in (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 them the features of a canid, so many megabats are called flying foxes.
Usually gathering in large colonies, especially on cliffs or other isolated terrain, the Mariana fruit bat consumes the fruits and flowers of a large number of plant species; even the twigs and leaves of a few species are eaten. While they normally roost in large numbers, bats on occasion may be seen roosting alone or in small groups.
The Mariana fruit bat mates throughout the year; bats assemble in harems containing two to 15 females and a single male. Non-mating males gather in "bachelor groups" or roost singly near a harem. At a given time, 7-20% of females in harems can be found with recently-born young. The bat's movements are poorly understood. Colonies have been observed ranging as far as 6.2-7.4 mi (10-12 km) from their roosting location while foraging for food; in addition, individuals or small groups have been observed flying between islands. Large groups of 50-300 bats have occasionally been observed flying between Rota and Guam or Anguijan, a distance of 37-50 mi (60-80 km). It is thought that hunting may be the cause of these migrations.
Distribution
Mariana fruit bats are found in Guam and the The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In northern Guam, bats primarily forage and roost in native limestone forest. Coconut groves and strand vegetation are other plant communities used occasionally for feeding and roosting. In southern Guam, a few fruit bats may still inhabit ravine forests. Farms, savannas, and mangroves are habitats that receive little or no use at present, but may have been used commonly in the past when bats were more abundant and widespread on the island.
Conservation
In 2001, the population was estimated to number between 300 and 400 bats on Sarigan. The current population numbers are unknown, but one known concentration is on Ritidian Point in Guam. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation.
A number of conservation steps have been recommended for the Mariana fruit bat. These include: implementing methods to control brown tree snakes in bat roosting areas (as a precursor to a wider snake control program which would take years to put in place); coordinating the efforts of military, civilian, and conservation authorities to enforce sanctions against poaching; expanding conservation education programs; translocating some bats from the colony on USAF property in northern Guam to previously inhabited parts of the island.
In late 1993, the FWS established the Guam National Wildlife Refuge on 370 acres (148 hectares) of forest it was granted by the federal government. Containing the single colony of Mariana fruit bats remaining on Guam, this tract of land may eventually be expanded to more than 28,000 acres (11,200 hectares) if cooperative agreements can be worked out between the FWS, the U. S. Navy, the USAF, the government of Guam and other parties now administering land proposed for the park.
That's it for today. See you all next time.
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