Flying foxes' adorable name won't save them from extinction threats

Flying foxes, increasingly at risk of extinction, face threats in the form of hunting, habitat loss, and mass culling. That’s bad for island ecosystems — and, eventually, the people who live there, according to a new perspective published today in Science.

Unfortunately for all of us, flying foxes are not actual foxes with wings. They are large bats with longish snouts and fox-like faces that mostly live on islands and archipelagoes from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. The animals eat fruits, flowers, nectar, and roots — and they are key for pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. In fact, they can fly over long distances — over 37 miles in one night — bringing with them fruits (and seeds) and even pooping seeds as they fly. Plants...

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