Threatened Species Factsheet No. 6.
Vanuatu Environmental Science Society. 2 pages. PDF
The Vanuatu flying foxes can be found in the same areas as the bigger black flying fox but the black ones tend to boost in large groups in big canopy trees such as the nabanga (banyan) whereas the Vanuatu flying foxes roost in small groups in smaller trees often coconuts. They feed on fruit and flowers of trees such as figs, bananas, breadfruit and coconut. They can be seen flying during the day more often than the other flying foxes in Vanuatu.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 12
2 pages. PDF
These are small round birds of the forest floor. They are only found in the Solomon Islands (Santa Cruz Islands) and on Santo in Vanuatu. They live in old growth forest, 300-1000m elevation. It is believed the Santa Cruz Ground Dove forages only on the ground, but perches on low branches and roosts in trees. Their diet includes seeds, berries and young shoots it finds when foraging the forest floor, insects and worms. It’s call is a slow series of up to 15 low woop
noises.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 13
2 pages. PDF
They are medium sized bird found on the highest peaks of Santo island, usually between 1200-1700m elevation. They are reported to nest in holes in trees, low to the ground. The birds have been seen feeding on insects, fruit and seeds. They are usually seen no more than 5m above the forest floor, although occasionally perch in the canopy. They fly quickly and directly in the sub-canopy.
Pocket Guide. PDF
In Vanuatu, the impact of invasive species on the forests and related
biodiversity is evident. The threat and nuisance posed by invasive
species have been a concern for a number of years. However, it is
only more recently that invasive species have been given increased
attention.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 5
2 pages. pdf
VESS
These are medium-sized microbats that roost in caves. They forage in forests using a special skill called echolocation. They are insectivorous which means they feed only on insects such as moths, butterflies, bees, beetles, ants and termites. These bats may not exist in Vanuatu. The are only 2 records, one from the 18th century and the other a
specimen labeled as from Santo in 1929. It is possible it was not labeled correctly and the bat was actually collected from Fiji, where the bats are more commonly seen.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 21
2 pages. PDF
Skinks are lizard reptiles. The Anatom Skink lives in undisturbed forest away from humans. It lives in trees, from
rainforest to dry coastal forests on Aneityum island in southern Vanuatu (and it is not found on neighbouring
islands). Females lay about 4-5 eggs at a time and it is thought the females descend to the ground to lay them in the forest floor litter near the base of a tree. Skinks eat small invertebrates (mostly insects) although the diet of this species is largely unknown. It is very difficult to find.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 1
2 pages. pdf
VESS
Dugongs are herbivores (plant-eaters) that feed mostly on seagrass, up to 40 Kg every day. Female dugongs have their first calf when they are between 7 and 17 years. The have calves every 2 - 5 years depending on the quality and quantity of the seagrass available. If there is not much seagrass the time between calves will be longer the females will mature and have their first calf later. They live in many countries in the Pacific and Indian ocean basins. They can be found in coastal regions of the tropics and sub-tropics, usually found where there is seagrass in shallow calm
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 4
2pages. pdf
VESS
These are micro-bats that use sonar to find their food (echolocation). They eat insects and can be seen flying around to catch them in coconut groves, on farmland, in forests and even over the sea, near to the coast. They are found on Malo and Santo but their biggest population is in Fiji. Not very much is know about them. They roost in large numbers often thousands, inside caves. They breed seasonally with the young being born around December.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 3
2 pages. pdf
VESS
In Vanuatu they are found on Ambae, Aneityum, Efate, Emae, Erromango, Gaua, Malakula, Malo, Mota Lava, Espirito Santo and Tanna. They roost in caves in large colonies and come out to feed in the forests or in gardens. They eat lowers and fruits and can travel to different areas depending on what is flowering in which season.
Threatened Species Factsheet No. 2
2 pages. PDF
VESS
These are small fruit bats. They are endemic to Vanuatu and are only found on Mota and Vanua Lava in the Banks group. They roost in trees individually or in small groups. We don’t know much about their biology or ecology because they haven’t been studied very much by scientists. They have been seen feeding on coconut flowers and the fruit of Vaveli tree.