Black-bearded flying fox Black-bearded flying fox The black-bearded flying fox ("Pteropus melanopogon") is an endangered species of megabat in the genus "Pteropus". It is endemic to Indonesia, found on the islands of Ambon, Buru, Seram, Banda, and Yamdena. Currently considered monotypic, it formerly included the Aru flying fox and Kei flying fox as subspecies. It was described in 1867 by German naturalist Wilhelm Peters based off an individual in the collection of Hermann Schlegel. Its species name comes from the New Latin melanin, which is derived from Ancient Greek "mélas", meaning "black", and Ancient Greek pṓgōn, meaning "beard". As the genus "Pteropus" is
Guam flying fox habits, but an individual observed in 1968, when a female was shot, was accompanied by an immature individual which suggests that there may have been some on-going parental care. There are no confirmed records of sightings of this bat since the 1970s and the IUCN lists it as being "Extinct". When it was more plentiful it was hunted by humans for food, which may have contributed to its extinction. Another factor may have been the introduction into the island of the predatory Brown tree snake ("Boiga irregularis"). Guam flying fox The Guam flying fox ("Pteropus tokudae"), also known as the