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DECEMBER 3, 2010: BABY FRUIT BAT

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Think he will come out and take a look?
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Think he will come out and take a look?

  • Think he will come out and take a look?
  • THERE he is!
  • The Mariana Fruit Bat (locally known as fanihi) is a unique subspecies of fruit bat endemic to Guam and the CNMI. Their numbers are falling, primarily due to poaching. Locals consider them to be a delicacy. I have been told that locals eat the entire bat, including the fur and all. Fruit bats are an endangered species.
  • Because of their long, canine-like snout, they are also sometimes referred to as flying foxes.<br /> <br /> One interesting, albeit somewhat controversial, tidbit about the culinary aspect: Fruit bats are known to include cycad seeds in their diets. Cycad seeds have high levels of β-Methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA). BMAA is a known neurotoxin. In times when the fruit bat was in greater supply, a neurological disease (Lytico-Bodig Disease) was rampant on Guam. In fact, this paralyzing disease (similar in symptoms to Lou Gehrig's Disease or Parkinson's) was the number one cause of death among Guam's adult Chamorro (indigenous people) around 1940. BMAA is known to be present in the body fats of the fruit bats. All of the above is known. The controversial part is that some scientists tie these together, to say that consumption of fruit bats places people at risk of Lytico-Bodig Disease, while some people state that there has never been any definite proof that the disease indeed arises from fruit bat ingestion. However, it is also known that as fruit bat consumption has decreased, so has the prevalence of Lytico-Bodig Disease.
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