Small Mauritian flying fox

Smoke Gray Flying Fox ( Pteropus subniger )

The Smoky Flying Fox ( Pteropus subniger ) is an extinct Flughundart that occurred on Réunion and Mauritius.

Description

The naturalist George Clark described the species in 1859 than about rats large with a wingspan of 61 centimeters. The head, neck and shoulders were bright reddish brown. The rump was whitish. The rest of the body was dark gray. The ears were barely visible. Characteristic was a thick coat and a layer of fat, which is close to the presumption that the Smoky flying fox at cooler temperatures was adapted into higher altitudes than the also extinct on Réunion Mascarene Flying Fox ( Pteropus niger).

Way of life

The Smoky flying fox was strictly nocturnal. The explorer Jean Baptiste François de Lanux reported that these bats were sleeping in the caves rotten Bäumer. A sleep colony consisted of about 400 females and young animals, which were accompanied by a male. The diet consisted of fruits and flower nectar, particularly on the nature Foetidia mauritiana. The boys were born in September.

Extinction

Both the Mascarene flying fox and the Smoky flying fox was a popular hunting prey in the late 18th century. The fat animals were a welcome treat. Habitat loss, particularly due to the destruction of the mountain forests of Mauritius, is considered another cause of the disappearance of the smoke gray flying fox. The Mascarene flying fox died around 1800 on Réunion, while he survived in Mauritius. The Smoky Flying Fox 1860 last last collected on Réunion and Mauritius in 1864.