The Pacific flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) is a large, nocturnal bat species characterized by its fox-like head with large eyes and small ears, a distinctive brown-yellow mantle on its neck and shoulders and short, blackish-to-seal-brown fur on the rest of its body. These gregarious bats, which lack tails and rely on sight and smell, are crucial pollinators and seed dispersers in their Pacific island ecosystems, though they are also agricultural pests for crops like breadfruit, papaya and mangoes. |
