A recent study has revealed details about animals found on islands in the western Pacific Ocean: flying foxes. But don't be fooled! These "foxes" are actually bats that have been given this confusing nickname because of the coloring of their fur.

Considered the largest bat in the world, the flying fox group consists of more than 60 species that live on the remote islands of the Pacific and Indian oceans and in continental parts of Asia and Australia.

With wings that can reach up to 1.4 meters, these animals resemble foxes with reddish-brown hair. Weighing up to one kilogram, flying foxes are up to three times larger than the traditional bats found in North America.

Unknown in nature

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Although a German researcher described these animals in 1836, no further study of the species was done precisely because of the difficulty of reaching them in such remote places.

Now a team of researchers from the College of Micronesia is conducting what may be considered the first study of the area with the population of flying foxes of the species Pteropus pelagicus that inhabit the Mortlock Islands. They intend to catalog details about one of nature's most enigmatic creatures.

The team has already been able to identify eight species of plants that serve as food for bats, and they seem to prefer fruit, such as breadfruit, which is similar to jackfruit. In this way, the animals fall into the category of fruit bats, even though they have sharp canines that could be used to tear meat.

Another interesting feature discovered so far is that the species breeds year-round, unlike other bats that usually reserve certain times of the year for breeding.

Bats and their predators

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Researchers believe the island has between 900 and 1, 200 bats that apparently have no predators that put the species at risk other than wild cats and lizards that were introduced to the island by humans. In some cultures, flying foxes are considered a delicacy, but experts have noted that the inhabitants of Mortlock do not have the habit of hunting this animal.

But what can really be a risk to these bats is the future sea level rise associated with climate change. The small atolls - shallow islands - on which they live reach only 1 to 3 meters above sea level and could eventually be flooded by 2100, according to forecasts by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

“They can fly to another island, but when they find out that other bats live there, they probably won't be able to make a population of their own. So this is basically your only habitat, ”explains Gary Wiles, study co-author and researcher at the Washington Department of Fisheries and Wildlife.

The researcher also points out that these data represent only a small portion of the study, but he hopes this will motivate other biologists to develop further studies that may delve into the eating and reproductive habits of these bats.