The greater monkey-faced bat or greater flying monkey (''Pteralopex flanneryi'') is a

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 ...

endemic to

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capita ...

, Bougainville, in

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, and nearby small islands. It is listed as a critically endangered species and the population is decreasing. It is the largest monkey-faced bat.

Taxonomy and etymology

Prior to 2005, it was considered synonymous with the

Bougainville monkey-faced bat The Bougainville monkey-faced bat or Bougainville flying monkey (''Pteralopex anceps'') is a megabat endemic to Bougainville Island of Papua New Guinea and Choiseul Island of the Solomon Islands in Melanesia.Bowen-Jones, E., Abrutat, D., Markham, ...

. It was described as a new species in 2005 by Kristofer Helgen. Helgen chose the species name ''flanneryi'' to honor Dr.

Tim Flannery Timothy Fridtjof Flannery (born 28 January 1956) is an Australian mammalogist, palaeontologist, environmentalist, Conservation biology, conservationist, Exploration, explorer, author, Science communication, science communicator, activist and p ...

, "in recognition of his studies of

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from Indonesia's New Guinea in the west to Fiji in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Va ...

n mammals."Helgen, K. M. (2005). Systematics of the Pacific monkey-faced bats (Chiroptera: Pteropodidae), with a new species of Pteralopex and a new Fijian genus. Systematics and Biodiversity, 3(4), 433-453. As of 2017, no genetic analysis has been conducted on the members of the genus ''

Pteralopex ''Pteralopex'' is a genus of large megabats in the family Pteropodidae. Species in this genus are commonly known as "monkey-faced bats". They are restricted to Solomon Islands rain forests in Melanesia, and all species are seriously threatened, ...

''; however, it is hypothesized that the closest relative of the greater monkey-faced bat is the

Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat The Guadalcanal monkey-faced bat or Guadalcanal flying monkey (''Pteralopex atrata'') is a megabat endemic to Solomon Islands. It is listed as an endangered species. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 spe ...

Description

It is the largest member of its genus, with forearm lengths ranging from . Its wingspan is over . It weighs approximately . Its fur is short, and its ears are relatively visible. The forearm and shin are sparsely furred. Their fur is black with occasional white- or yellow-tipped hairs interspersed throughout the chest. Unlike the

, which has an overlapping range, it does not have a large white or yellow patch on its chest. It has a unique "double

canine tooth In mammalian oral anatomy, the canine teeth, also called cuspids, dog teeth, or (in the context of the upper jaw) fangs, eye teeth, vampire teeth, or vampire fangs, are the relatively long, pointed teeth. They can appear more flattened however ...

", which may be used in conjunction with their powerful jaws to break open coconuts.

Biology

As it is so rarely encountered, little is known about its biology. A lactating female was once encountered in July.Phillips, C. J. (1968). Systematics of megachiropteran bats in the Solomon Islands. University of Kansas. Juvenile individuals have been encountered in February, April, and September. It is thought to be

frugivorous A frugivore is an animal that thrives mostly on raw fruits or succulent fruit-like produce of plants such as roots, shoots, nuts and seeds. Approximately 20% of mammalian herbivores eat fruit. Frugivores are highly dependent on the abundance and ...

, and it has been observed eating unripe

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 ...

s.Sanborn, C. C., & Osgood, W. H. (1931). Bats from Polynesia, Melanesia, and Malaysia. Field Museum of natural history.

Range and habitat

It has been recorded from elevations of above sea level. It depends on

old-growth An old-growth forestalso termed primary forest, virgin forest, late seral forest, primeval forest, or first-growth forestis a forest that has attained great age without significant disturbance, and thereby exhibits unique ecological featur ...

lowland forest. It has been found on several islands of

and the

, including

Bougainville Island Bougainville Island (Tok Pisin: ''Bogenvil'') is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, which is part of Papua New Guinea. It was previously the main landmass in the German Empire-associated North Solomons. Its land area is ...

, Puruata Island,

Buka Island Buka Island is the second-largest island in the Autonomous Region of Bougainville, in eastern Papua New Guinea. It is in Buka Rural LLG of North Bougainville District, with the Autonomous Region's and district's capital city of Buka, Bougain ...

Choiseul Island Choiseul Island, native name Lauru, is the largest island () of the Choiseul Province, Solomon Islands, at . The administrative headquarters of Choiseul Province is situated in the town of Taro, on Taro Island. History In 1768, the French explor ...

Santa Isabel Island Santa Isabel Island (also known as Isabel, Ysabel and Mahaga) is the longest in Solomon Islands, the third largest in terms of surface area, and the largest in the group of islands in Isabel Province. Location and geographic data Choiseul lies t ...

, and Barora Fa Island.

Conservation

It is listed as critically endangered by the

IUCN The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

. It is threatened by hunting for

bushmeat Bushmeat is meat from wildlife species that are hunted for human consumption, most often referring to the meat of game in Africa. Bushmeat represents a primary source of animal protein and a cash-earning commodity for inhabitants of humid tropi ...

and

habitat destruction Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the process by which a natural habitat becomes incapable of supporting its native species. The organisms that previously inhabited the site are displaced or dead, thereby ...

. Only one individual has been documented since 1990. Some of the islands on which it is found have been assessed as highly susceptible to environmental impacts by

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 ...

, which could threaten the species.Kumar, L., & Tehrany, M. S. (2017). Climate change impacts on the threatened terrestrial vertebrates of the Pacific Islands. Scientific Reports, 7. In 2013,

Bat Conservation International Bat Conservation International (BCI) is an international nongovernmental organization working to conserve bats and their habitats through conservation, education, and research efforts. BCI was founded in 1982 by bat biologist Merlin Tuttle, who ...

listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. Efforts by Bat Conservation International to conserve the species include partnering with the

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

Rotokas people,

Volunteer Service Abroad Volunteer Service Abroad - Te Tūao Tāwāhi (VSA) a New Zealand-based volunteering agency working in international development. Operations VSA volunteers share skills with people in the wider Pacific. VSA's work is diverse and driven by the ...

, and the Bougainville Bureau for the Environment to develop a conservation plan for Kunua Plains & Mount Balbi Key Biodiversity Area. These efforts are intended to conserve the greater monkey-faced bat and the Bougainville monkey-faced bat. Conservation actions identified by Bat Conservation International include identifying alternate protein sources for indigenous peoples so that they do not have to rely on bushmeat, creating native tree nurseries for reforestation efforts, mitigating conflicts between the fruit-eating bats and farmers seeking to protect their crops, and engaging the community more frequently in conservation dialogue. Researchers seeking to work in Kunua Plains & Mount Balbi Key Biodiversity Area will pay the Rotokas people for access to their land, hire guides and porters from local villages, and purchase their produce locally to provide income for the Rotokas people.

References

{{Tim Flannery Pteralopex Bats of Oceania Endemic fauna of the Solomon Islands Mammals of Papua New Guinea Mammals of the Solomon Islands Bougouriba Province Critically endangered fauna of Oceania Mammals described in 2005 Bats as food