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Common Name : Island flying Fox. Type Locality : Indonesia , Molucca Isls, Ternate Isl. Distribution : Andaman and Maldives Isls; New Guinea through Indonesia to Vietnam and Thailand , and adjacent islands; Philippines . Solomon Isls records are probably erroneous (K. Helgen, pers. comm.). Status : CITES - Appendix II. IUCN/SSC Action Plan (1992) - Not Threatened. IUCN 2002 - Lower Risk (lc).
The island flying fox Pteropus hypomelanus includes 16 subspecies and is common throughout its range except for the subspecies P.h. maris of the Maldives , which is endangered due to limited distribution, and excessive culling. The greatest threat to the Island Flying fox is human predation and habitat destruction . They often roost on small islands and the threat of hunting has increased as the island chains popularity as a tourist spot increases.
The Island flying fox is a medium sized fruit bat, with a wingspan of approaching four feet (1.21m) and weighty of about one and one half pounds (750g). Island flying fox females reach maturity at one and one half years old and males at two years old. Their gestation period is 120 - 180 days after which a single pup in born. The pups can weigh up to 10% of their mother's body weight (if that were a human, the baby could weigh 15 pounds). The Island flying fox can live for up to 30 years. .
Pteropus hypomelanus has a keen sight and a great sense of smell, which helps them search for their necessary food source. They have been recorded travelling up to 20 miles in search of food. In the wild Island flying fox feed primarily on fruits and plant parts including, flowers pollen, nectar, leaves and bark. In captivity they are maintained on a variety of fruits including apples, grapes, bananas, cantaloupes, pears, peaches, kiwis, pine apples, mangoes, papayas, dried fruit, monkey chow, sweet potatoes, sweet corn, spinach, kale and various other vegetables. This medium size fruit bat eats about half of its bodyweight in food daily.
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