Order Chiroptera Higher classification Flying foxes | Phylum Chordata Family Pteropodidae Scientific name Pteropus capistratus Rank Species | |
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Similar Masked flying fox, Banks flying fox, Ontong Java flying fox, Dwarf flying fox, Solomons flying fox |
The Bismarck masked flying fox (Pteropus capistratus) is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae found in Papua New Guinea and named after the Bismarck Archipelago. It was originally considered a subspecies of Pteropus temminckii before being reassessed in 2001. This species has two subspecies, P. c. capistratus and P. c. ennisae. The species has sometimes been classified as a subspecies of Pteropus temminckii. The IUCN classified it as Near Threatened in 2009, noting that the rate of decline is almost high enough to reclassify the species as Vulnerable.
It is one of the rare species of mammals in which the males can lactate.
References
Bismarck masked flying fox Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA