The Aldabra flying fox (''Pteropus aldabrensis'') is a species of

megabat Megabats constitute the family Pteropodidae of the order Chiroptera (bats). They are also called fruit bats, Old World fruit bats, or—especially the genera ''Acerodon'' and ''Pteropus''—flying foxes. They are the only member of the su ...

in the genus ''

Pteropus ''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, Austra ...

''. It is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found 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 found elsew ...

to the

Aldabra Aldabra is the world's second-largest coral atoll, lying south-east of the continent of Africa. It is part of the Aldabra Group of islands in the Indian Ocean that are part of the Outer Islands of the Seychelles, with a distance of 1,120 k ...

Atoll in the

Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, V ...

, like ''Chaerephon pusilla'', though the latter may be the same species as the

little free-tailed bat The little free-tailed bat (''Chaerephon pumilus'') is a species of the genus ''Chaerephon'' in the family Molossidae. It is widely distributed across Africa and islands around the continent. Description The little free-tailed bat is one of t ...

Taxonomy

The bat was given its scientific name in an 1893 publication by

Frederick W. True Frederick William True (July 8, 1858 – June 25, 1914) was an American biologist, the first head curator of biology (1897–1911) at the United States National Museum, now part of the Smithsonian Institution. Biography He was born in Middletown, ...

, an American biologist and curator at the

United States National Museum The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

(now part of the

Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...

). True based his description of the species on two specimens collected in 1892 by

William Louis Abbott William Louis Abbott (23 February 1860 – 2 April 1936) was an American medical doctor, explorer, ornithologist and field naturalist. He compiled prodigious collections of biological specimens and ethnological artefacts from around the world, ...

, an American doctor and naturalist.

Biology and ecology

Like other megabats, commonly known as fruit bats, the Aldabra flying fox is herbivorous. It has been observed eating fruit from the evergreens

Calophyllum inophyllum ''Calophyllum inophyllum'' is a large evergreen plant, commonly called tamanu, oil-nut, mastwood, beach calophyllum or beautyleaf. It is native to tropical Asia and Wallacea. Due to its importance as a source of timber for the traditional shipbu ...

and Mystroxylon aethiopicum, the Indian almond, and fig trees such as the giant-leaved fig,

Ficus rubra ''Ficus rubra'' (aka ''red affouche''Jared Bernard ''et al.''New Species Assemblages Disrupt Obligatory Mutualisms Between Figs and Their Pollinators In: Front. Ecol. Evol., 19 November 2020. doi:10.3389/fevo.2020.564653. See also: * Jared ...

, and

Ficus reflexa ''Ficus reflexa'' is a species of flowering plant in the family of Moraceae, native to some islands in the Indian Ocean. It is found in Madagascar, Comoros, Réunion, Mauritius and Seychelles Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republ ...

. The bat also eats flowers from the

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family ( Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the ...

tree and

sisal Sisal (, ) (''Agave sisalana'') is a species of flowering plant native to southern Mexico, but widely cultivated and naturalized in many other countries. It yields a stiff fibre used in making rope and various other products. The term sisal ma ...

plant and the leaves of the grey mangrove tree. It has been observed licking honeydew produced by

scale insects Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism, they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the ...

infesting fig trees; rats exhibit the same behavior.

Range and habitat

The natural

habitat In ecology, the term habitat summarises the array of resources, physical and biotic factors that are present in an area, such as to support the survival and reproduction of a particular species. A species habitat can be seen as the physical ...

s of the Aldabra flying fox are subtropical or tropical mangrove

forest A forest is an area of land dominated by trees. Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing, and ecological function. The United Nations' ...

s and subtropical or tropical dry

shrubland Shrubland, scrubland, scrub, brush, or bush is a plant community characterized by vegetation dominated by shrubs, often also including grasses, herbs, and geophytes. Shrubland may either occur naturally or be the result of human activity. It m ...

Conservation

The species is classified as vulnerable by the IUCN due to a restricted habitat, threats from natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, and rising sea level due to

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

. The biologist A.M. Hutson has described the Aldabra flying fox as "one of the rarest bats in the world" based on a 1968 estimate of a 250-bat total population.

Sources

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1770363 Pteropus Bats of Africa Endemic fauna of Seychelles Mammals of Seychelles Mammals described in 1893 Vulnerable animals Vulnerable biota of Africa Taxonomy articles created by Polbot