travel guide of Kuchino-erabu island

When you come to Kuchinoerabu-jima , please look up into the night sky. Forty to fifty minutes after sunset, you may be able to see the huge Erabu flying-foxes. They are often seen on Gajyumaru (Chinese banyan), Washington palm, and Yama-guwa (Marus australis Poir.). 
 
Photo by Mr. and Mrs. Osawa

Photo by Mr. T.Noda(The Mainichi Newspapers, May 2017)

Table 　The number of flying-foxes visiting fruit trees (in 2014)

Date	Time period	Place	Number of flying-foxes	Observation	Moon age (days since last new moon)
8Sept	23:50- 24:00	Palm trees at school plaza	0		15
5Sept	21:55- 22:05	Palm trees at school plaza	0		12
31Aug	18:30- 21:00	Palm trees at school plaza	3	50 flying-foxes flew over the tree.	7
13July	0:15 -0:20	Peach tree at Yamaguchi’s vegetable garden	1		16
12July	2:30-2:35	Inu-biwa (Ficus erecta Thunb.) at the Yamaguchi	1		15
18-25June	around 21:00	Gajyumaru (Chinese Banyan tree) near Yukei-Inn	10	Flying-foxes had stopped to visit after fruit was dropped by rain fall
18June	around 20:00	Peach tree at Ohyama’s vegetable garden	10		20
13June	21:30-21:40	Peach tree at gas station	1		15
13June	3:25-3:35	Palm trees at school plaza	0		15
13June	3:10-3:20	Peach tree near Yukei-Inn	3		15
10May	22:00-22:10	Yama-guwa (Mulberry tree) at Power plant	6		10
9May	19:50-20:00	Yama-guwa (Mulberry tree) at Power plant	3		9
9May	19:40-19:50	Chinese banyan trees at north of power plant	4		9
9May	20:45-20:50	Palm trees at school plaza	6		9
8May	22:15-22:25	Palm trees at school plaza	1		8
8May	19:30-21:00	Palm trees at school plaza	5	5 flying-foxes visited on Palm trees between 19:39-19:55.	8
7May	21:40-21:50	Palm trees at Kenkou plaza	0	3 heads flew over the tree.	7
7May	21:20-21:30	Palm trees at school plaza	0		7
30Apr	23:45-23:55	Palm trees at Kenkou plaza	6		30
30Apr	23:20-23:35	Palm trees at school plaza	14		30
7Apr	20:05-20:15	Palm trees at school plaza	1		7
29Mar	19:30-19:40	Palm trees at school plaza	0		29
27mar	23:35-21:45	Palm trees at school plaza	6		27

　

Table　Pellets dropped under fruit trees (2014)

Date	Place	pellets dropped under tree	Moon age
2Sept	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (Elaeagnus macrophylla, leaf)	8
21Aug	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (leaf)	25
28July	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (leaf)	1
19July	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (leaf), Tabunoki (Persea thunbergii)	22
13June	north slope at school	peach, Inu-biwa(Ficus erecta Thunb.), Chinese Banyan, Tabunoki (Persea thunbergii)	15
13June	near gas station	peach	15
13June	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (leaf)	15
8May	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (leaf)	9
29Mar	From north slope at school to Kanamine shrine	Inu-biwa (Ficus erecta Thunb.)	28
27Mar	north slope at school	Gardenia jasminoides	26
16Feb	south slope at Kanamine shrine	Maruba-gumi (leaf)	16

　What is Flying Fox?
　

The Erabu flying fox only inhabits the islands of Tokara and Kuchinoerabu-jima. In February 1975, the flying fox was designated as a national monument. In addition, it was designated as an endangered species in IA (CR), and was entered in the Red Data Book of the Ministry of the Environment.



The body length (including head) of flying-fox is about 25 centimeters. The wingspan is roughly equal to that of crow. 
Erabu flying-foxes have dark brown bodies. Males have a yellow band on their neck and females have a white band . 
Erabu flying-foxes are nocturnal and rest during the day while hanging from trees in the forest. Erabu flying-foxes rely on vision rather than sonar to fly. 
A short while after sunset, Erabu flying-foxes will fly to their feeding grounds. They will eat fruit, leaves, nectar and bark (see the below tree list*). After drinking the juice of fruit and leaves, they will spit out the dregs (Pellets). They swallow some extent swallow soft things, such as bananas. They also occasionally eat insects.

* List of Trees, whose fruit and leaves Erabu flying-foxes eat.

Gajumaru (Chinese Banyan, Ficus microcarpa L.f.) Akou (Banyan tree, Ficus superba Miq. var. japonica Corner) Yama-guwa (Marus australis Poir.) Inu-biwa(Ficus erecta Thunb.) Oitabi (creeping fig or climbing fig, Ficus pumila L.) Tabunoki(Persea thunbergii kosterm.) Maruba-gumi (Elaeagnus macrophylla Thunb.) etc.