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
Little red flying fox a million individuals. This species gives birth 6 months later than the other mainland flying fox species, in April and May. A National Geographic Channel special program ("World's Weirdest: Flying Foxes") documents that the little red flying fox will skim the surface of rivers, then lap the water from their fur; this can put them in danger from being seized by predators such as crocodiles. This species of flying fox hangs in a different way from other mainland species. The larger species tend to hang an arm's length apart, but the little reds tend to clump together so they may