Ontong Java flying fox
Pteropus howensis Troughton, 1931
The ontong java flying fox (Pteropus howensis) is a species in the family Pteropodidae, order Chiroptera. Recorded adults weigh about 232.9 g. Source checklists list it for 1 country: Australia. Its IUCN Red List status is Critically Endangered.
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Quick facts about the ontong java flying fox
- Weight
- 232.9 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
- 0.98src for Young per litter or clutch
- Active
- At night (nocturnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Arborealsrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Critically Endangered (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- 1 countrysrc for Countries on record
Where does the ontong java flying fox live?
Countries where Catalogue of Life checklists list the species. Many checklists carry no country data, so the list is often incomplete. It is not a range map.
The ontong java flying fox is listed for 1 country.
- Listed
- Not listed
The same countries as a list
Listed by: ITIS (scope: global), through the Catalogue of Life.
What is the ontong java flying fox?
The Ontong Java flying fox (Pteropus howensis) is a species of flying fox in the family Pteropodidae. It is endemic to the Ontong Java Atoll in the Solomon Islands. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests and subtropical or tropical swamps. It was classified as "Critically Endangered" in 2021 by the IUCN . Its confirmed range extends only over small islands, all of which are near to sea level. It is threatened by rising sea levels.
From the Wikipedia article “Ontong Java flying fox” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ontong_Java_flying_fox&oldid=1314956574), 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 ontong java flying fox endangered?
The ontong java flying fox is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List: it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Critically Endangered species.
How is the ontong java flying fox classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderChiroptera
- familyPteropodidae
- genusPteropus
- SpeciesPteropus howensis Troughton, 1931
Other names and names in other languages (12)
- Ontong Java flying fox.English
- Ontong Java flying-foxEnglish
- kaloň ontongskýCzech
- Ontong-Java-FlughundGerman
- Zorro Volador De HowensSpanish
- Zorro Volador de Lord HoweSpanish
- antongatollinlenkkoFinnish
- Volpe volante di Ontong JavaItalian
- ハウエンスオオコウモリJapanese
- 온통자바날여우박쥐Korean
- Rudawka atolowaPolish
- Онтонгяванская летучая лисицаRussian
Relatives of the ontong java flying fox
Other species in the same genus Pteropus.

Large flying fox
Pteropus vampyrus
Giant fruit bat
Pteropus medius

Livingstone's fruit bat
Pteropus livingstonii

Mariana fruit bat
Pteropus mariannus

Rodrigues flying fox
Pteropus rodricensis

Samoa flying fox
Pteropus samoensis
CompareOntong Java flying fox vs Large flying foxOntong Java flying fox vs Giant fruit batOntong Java flying fox vs Livingstone's fruit batOntong Java flying fox vs Mariana fruit bat
Common questions
Answered only where our data holds the answer.
How big is the ontong java flying fox?
An adult ontong java flying fox weighs 232.9 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.
Where does the ontong java flying fox live?
Catalogue of Life checklists list the ontong java flying fox for 1 country: Australia. Checklist coverage is uneven, so the true range may be wider.
Is the ontong java flying fox endangered?
The ontong java flying fox is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, meaning it faces an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
What kind of animal is the ontong java flying fox?
The ontong java flying fox (Pteropus howensis) 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.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Ontong Java flying fox (Pteropus howensis). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/ontong-java-flying-fox
“Ontong Java flying fox (Pteropus howensis).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/ontong-java-flying-fox.
@misc{ontong_java_flying_fox_2026,
title = {Ontong Java flying fox (Pteropus howensis)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/ontong-java-flying-fox},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}