Samoa flying fox a luxury food item, but a stop was put to that trade when it was listed in Appendix I of CITES in 1990. This made it illegal to export it, and hunting since then has been on a smaller scale and only for domestic use. It is present in some national parks and other protected areas which gives it some measure of protection. The Samoan word for the flying fox fruit bat, "pe'a", is also the name of the traditional Samoan male tattoo. In Samoan and Polynesian mythologies, stories, myths, proverbs, and legends are associated with this winged creature. One
Rennell flying fox Rennell flying fox The Rennell flying fox ("Pteropus rennelli") is a species of flying fox found in the Solomon Islands. It is an endangered species risking extinction. It was described as a new species in 1929 by Australian mammalogist Ellis Le Geyt Troughton. As the genus "Pteropus" is speciose, it is divided into closely related species groups. The Rennell flying fox is in the ""samoensis"" species group. Its species name ""rennelli"" comes from Rennell Island, which is part of the Solomon Islands. Rennell Island was where the holotype was collected, and remains the only known location of this species. In