Small Mauritian flying fox Small Mauritian flying fox The small Mauritian flying fox or dark flying fox ("Pteropus subniger", known as rougettes to early French travelers) is an extinct species of megabat. It lived on the islands of Réunion and Mauritius in the Mascarene Islands of the Indian Ocean. It was abundant, with up to 400 sometimes crowding together at a single roost in a cave or in an ancient, hollow tree, while most other fruit bats prefer to roost in the branches of large trees. Local people believed there was only one male per roost, which may indicate the sexes roosted separately and
Indian flying fox canine is pronounced, and the molars have a longitudinal furrow. As of 1999, it is the longest-lived member of its genus; one individual lived for 31 years and 5 months in captivity. It was described as a new species in 1782 by Danish zoologist Morten Thrane Brünnich, who gave it the scientific name "Vespertilio gigantea." Linnaeus previously classified the species as "Pteropus vampyrus". Its species name ""giganteus"" is of Latin origin, meaning "giant." In 2012, Mlíkovský argued that the correct scientific name of the Indian flying fox should be "Pteropus medius" rather than "P. giganteus". He asserted that Brünnich coined