CreatureData

Caroline flying fox

Pteropus molossinus Temminck, 1853

ENEndangeredbats

The caroline flying fox (Pteropus molossinus) is a species in the family Pteropodidae, order Chiroptera. Recorded adults weigh 121.4 g to 284.2 g. Its IUCN Red List status is Endangered.

Caroline flying fox (Pteropus molossinus)
Photo: Matschie, Paul. · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the caroline flying fox

Weight
121.4 g – 284.2 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Frugivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Where does the caroline flying fox live?

Not recorded

What is the caroline flying fox?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The Caroline flying fox or Pohnpei flying fox (Pteropus molossinus) is a species of megabat in the genus Pteropus, endemic to Micronesia. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry forests. Prior to a ban on commercial exploitation, it was hunted for export, substantially impacting its abundance. It is threatened by habitat loss due to expanding plantations.

The Caroline flying-fox is native to the Caroline Islands. It has been recorded only from Pohnpei, Ant Atoll, and Pakin Atoll, all of which are part of the Federated States of Micronesia, where it depends on the tropical forests and fruiting plants. The Caroline flying fox is threatened by habitat loss, hunting pressures, and the small size of its remaining population. As of 2020, it is considered an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

From the Wikipedia article “Caroline flying fox” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caroline_flying_fox&oldid=1384655880), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the caroline flying fox endangered?

The caroline flying fox is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Endangered species. What the categories mean.

How is the caroline flying fox classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderChiroptera
  5. familyPteropodidae
  6. genusPteropus
  7. SpeciesPteropus molossinus Temminck, 1853

Synonyms Pteropus breviceps

Other names and names in other languages (21)
  • Caroline flying fox.English
  • Pohnpei flying foxEnglish
  • Pohnpei flying foxEnglish
  • Pohnpei flying-foxEnglish
  • Pohnpei flying-foxEnglish
  • Pohnpei fruit batEnglish
  • Pohnpei fruit batEnglish
  • Ponape flying foxEnglish
  • kaloň karolínskýCzech
  • Pohnpei-FlughundGerman
  • carolinesaartenlenkkoFinnish
  • Renard Volant De PonapeFrench
  • Volpe volante di PohnpeiItalian
  • カロリンオオコウモリJapanese
  • 폰페이날여우박쥐Korean
  • 캐럴라인날여우박쥐Korean
  • PohnpeivleerhondDutch
  • Rudawka mikronezyjskaPolish
  • PwehkPohnpeian
  • Каролинская летучая лисицаRussian
  • 東加羅林狐蝠Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the caroline flying fox

Other species in the same genus Pteropus.

CompareCaroline flying fox vs Large flying foxCaroline flying fox vs Giant fruit batCaroline flying fox vs Livingstone's fruit batCaroline flying fox vs Mariana fruit bat

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the caroline flying fox?

An adult caroline flying fox weighs 121.4 g – 284.2 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the caroline flying fox endangered?

The caroline flying fox is listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

What kind of animal is the caroline flying fox?

The caroline flying fox (Pteropus molossinus) belongs to the family Pteropodidae in the order Chiroptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Caroline flying fox (Pteropus molossinus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/caroline-flying-fox

MLA

“Caroline flying fox (Pteropus molossinus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/caroline-flying-fox.

BibTeX
@misc{caroline_flying_fox_2026,
  title = {Caroline flying fox (Pteropus molossinus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/caroline-flying-fox},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}