Samoan Flying Fox

While the Flying Fox mainly lives on many islands in the Indian Ocean and the western and southern Pacific, the Samoan Flying Fox, as the name suggests, is only found in Samoa and the Fiji Islands.

Normally the Flying Fox is nocturnal. Not so the Samoan Flying Fox – he practically only searches for food during the day. At night he is hardly ever out and about.

A fully-grown Flying Fox weighs about 800 grammes and usually reaches a wingspan of about one meter; however their wingspan can reach up to 1,70 meters. The males and the females do not differ. Despite their impressive size the Flying Fox is harmless for human beings resp. other mammals because they are vegetarians and only feed on fruit, leaves and blossoms.

As so often the humans are the Flying Fox’s biggest enemy – in the last three decades their population has decreased by 80 %.  This is mainly due to the destruction of their natural habitat but also due to hunting. The Samoan Flying Fox is considered a delicacy among the rich.