Endangered
Livingstone's fruit bat
Pteropus livingstonii
Its preferred habitat is montane forest above 200 metres (660 ft) on Mohéli and above 500 metres (1,600 ft) on Anjouan, the destruction of that is a major threat to the bat population.
Appearance
Livingstone's fruit bats are mostly black in colour, with a scattering of golden or tawny hairs over the rump, belly, and flanks. The amount of golden hair varies between individuals, with some also having a narrow band of golden fur down the back, or golden patches on the shoulders, and others being pure black without any paler hair at all. Distinguishing characteristics include their rounded ears, the colour of their fur, and their large, orange or red eyes, reflecting this bat's well-developed vision.
Livingstone's fruit bats weigh 500 to 800 g (18 to 28 oz).
Range and habitat
Livingstone's fruit bat is found only on the islands of Anjouan and Mohéli, within the Comoros archipelago between Africa and northern Madagascar. It inhabits montane forest above 200 metres (660 ft) on Moheli and above 500 metres (1,600 ft) on Anjouan. All current Livingstone's fruit bat roosts are restricted to a narrow midaltitudinal range and are strongly associated with the presence of native and endemic trees, with the biggest roosts located in dense-canopy, old-growth forest.
It is an Old World fruit bat found only in the Anjouan and Mohéli islands in the Union of the Comoros in the western Indian Ocean. Many efforts are being made to aid in the survival of P. Livingstonii, but as the populations of the natives increase on these Comoros islands, deforestation will continue to rise, as well.
Pins are Wikidata “endemic to” fields. Orange dots, when present, are GBIF occurrence tiles — survey bias included.
Diet and breeding
In captivity, a colony can have a dominant male with up to eight breeding females. Livingstone's flying foxes are active both day and night, and are predominantly nocturnal, the highest activity was observed between 10 pm and 2 am.
The diet of Livingstone's fruit bats consists of fruit, pollen, nectar, seeds, and leaves.
In crisis
Its preferred habitat is montane forest above 200 metres (660 ft) on Mohéli and above 500 metres (1,600 ft) on Anjouan, the destruction of that is a major threat to the bat population. As of 2003, the total population was estimated at 1,200 individuals. Other threats to the bats' survival include storms, hunting, and their struggles to readapt to new habitats.
Having a captive-breeding program could save P. Livingstonii from going completely extinct. As stated by the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, "If the bats' natural habitat is not protected, this amazing species could be extinct within 10 years." The breeding program now includes other facilities, with the Bristol Zoo the site of 30 births from 1999–2013.
CITES lists this taxon on Appendix II. Confirm the current appendix on the CITES checklist.
Livingstone's fruit bat is Endangered on this catalog because that is the IUCN category stored on Wikidata. Confirm the official criteria and any later count on iucnredlist.org.
Sources
Written for this catalog from the English Wikipedia article on Livingstone's fruit bat, Wikidata item Q1049623. Family and order context is original field-guide writing about the group, not a copied assessment of this one species. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA. Not an IUCN assessment. Counts, when quoted, can change — confirm them on the recovery programme and on iucnredlist.org.
