About Pteropus dasymallus Temminck, 1825
The Ryukyu flying fox (Pteropus dasymallus Temminck, 1825) is slightly smaller than the Indian flying fox. It has a wingspan of 1.24–1.41 m (4 ft 1 in – 4 ft 8 in), weighs 400–500 g (0.88–1.10 lb), and its forearm is approximately 140 mm (5.5 in) long. Its body is covered in long hairs that give it an almost woolly appearance. It is reddish brown with a yellowish white nape. Its small, pointed ears are hard to see beneath its thick fur, and its flight membranes are dark brown. This species is native to Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines. In Japan, it occurs on the Ōsumi Islands, Tokara Islands, Okinawa Islands, Miyako Islands, Yaeyama Islands, and Daitō Islands. In the Philippines, it is found in Batan, Dalupiri, and Fuga. It lives in forests, where it roosts during the day in trees either singly or in small groups. The Ryukyu flying fox is mostly frugivorous. It consumes fruits from at least 53 plant species, flowers from 20 plant species, leaves from 18 plant species, bark from one plant species, and has also been observed eating eight different insect species. The Chinese banyan tree is an important year-round food source for this species. It acts as an important pollinator for a subspecies of the evergreen tree Schima wallichii, and also pollinates the climbing vine species Mucuna macrocarpa. It is a nocturnal species: it typically roosts alone in trees during the day, and forages at night. It enhances seed dispersal, because seeds from digested fruits are deposited in guano up to 1,833 m (1.139 mi) away from parent trees.
