Mariana Fruit Bat/Nahina By Angela About the Fruit Bat The Mariana Fruit Bat or the Nahina is a medium bat measuring 195 to 250 mm from head to rump. Its wingspan is 860 to 1065 mm. Males are slightly larger than the females. The wings and abdomen are dark brown to black with gray hairs intermixed. The mantle and sides are a bright gold. Most animals but some can be pale gold or brown. Baby fruit bats are much smaller than their parents. Measuring from 140 to 15 mm with a wingspan of 650 to 709 mm. The abdomen and wings are brown to dark brown with some white hairs. This bat is called Fanihi in Guam and its scientific name is Pteropus Mariannus.
Behavior You have just learned what the bats look like and how tall they are from head to rump. Now you will learn where most of them live and how they behave. The bats are found in Northern Guam. In Guam, the bats primarily forage and roost in native limestone forests. The bats sleep most of the day but also do other things, for example, grooming, breeding, scent rubbing, and defending roosting territories which apply only to the males. Then they leave the colony for a few hours from sunset to sunrise. The fruit bat eats some plants, but mostly fruit, like breadfruit, papaya, fadang, figs, kafu, and coconuts. Endangered Once found throughout the Mariana Islands, Nahina have declined over the years. At first, they were only endangered in Guam, but the decline is now also in the southern islands. Scientists say that the bats move from one island to another. In 2005, the fruit bat was listed as a threatened species. The little Mariana bats were considered rare and now they are almost extinct. It was last seen in 1968. The brown tree snake is believed to have caused the decline of the species. The population is now about 300 to 400 bats. Some people call them flying fox because of their wings. The Chamorros eat bats in Guam which maybe has also contributed to their becoming endangered.
Bibliography
Levine, Michelle. "Mariana Fruit Bat." Civil Beat. Pacific Islands Fish and Wildlife Office, 20 Sept. 2012. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/fauna/marianabat.html>. Wales, Jimmy, and Larry Sanger . "Mariana Fruit Bat." Wikipedia. Wikipedia, 2014. Web. 20 Apr. 2014. <http://www.fws.gov/pacificislands/fauna/marianabat.html>. Wild, Screen. "Mariana Fruit Bat ." Arkive. 2003. Web. 12 Apr. 2014. <http://www.arkive.org/marianas-flying-fox/pteropus-mariannus/>.