Insular flying fox Insular flying fox The insular flying fox or Pacific flying fox ("Pteropus tonganus") is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is geographically widespread, the most widespread flying fox in the Pacific: it is found in American Samoa, the Cook Islands, Fiji, New Caledonia, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa (where it is called "pe'a fanua, pe'a fai" and "taulaga"), the Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Archaeologists on an excavation site at Rurutu announced in 2006 some important fossil finds: The range of coloration in this bat species varies somewhat. Its back is described as black or seal
Australian flying fox die-offs flying fox ("Pteropus poliocephalus") and the black flying fox ("P. alecto"). Where mixed-species colonies are affected the black flying fox suffers substantially higher mortality than the grey-headed flying fox. However, summer temperatures are more extreme within the range of the grey-headed flying fox than within the range of the black flying-fox, and therefore the actual total number of casualties is much higher among grey-headed flying foxes than black flying foxes. Mortality is especially high among dependent young and lactating females, but any demographic category can be affected. Observations in flying fox colonies during extreme heat events have revealed that flying