Mariana Fruit Bat
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| Pteropus mariannus Desmarest, 15522 |
The Mariana Fruit Bat (Pteropus mariannus), also known as the Mariana flying fox, is a fruit bat that can be found in the Guam, Northern Mariana Islands. Habitat loss is a major threat to the bat, with major development, and other human activities occurring in the bats living space. Poachers and food hunters also harm this bat as well as other animals and natural causes.
The bat is a culinary delicacy by the Chamorros of Guam (only to the old people; the younger generations don't like it at all for the most part) has been linked to neurological diseases such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers and AML. Paul Alan Cox from the Hawaiian National Tropical Botanical Garden in Kalaheo, and Oliver Sacks from Albert Einstein College in New York, found out that the bats consume large quantities of cycad seeds, and - like some eagles, which were shown to build up levels of the pesticide DDT in fat tissue - probably accumulate the toxins to dangerous levels.
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