Fruit bat, Bridled white eye bird likely extinct 

The Mariana fruit bat and the Bridled white eye bird of Guam were among 21 species removed from the Endangered Species Act due to extinction, according to an Oct. 17 press release from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. 

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s actions means the 21 species that used to be on the Endangered Species Act are no longer protected. “Most of these species were listed under the ESA in the 1970s and 80s and were in very low numbers or likely already extinct at the time of listing,” according to the press release. 

The Mariana fruit bat, also known as the Pteropus mariannus, is found in Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, and is known in CHamoru as the fanihi. The Bridled white eye is also found in some of the islands of the NMI. 

“Federal protection came too late to reverse these species’ decline, and it’s a wake-up call on the importance of conserving imperiled species before it’s too late,” said Service Director Martha Williams. “As we commemorate 50 years of the Endangered Species Act this year, we are reminded of the Act’s purpose to be a safety net that stops the journey toward extinction. The ultimate goal is to recover these species, so they no longer need the Act’s protection.”

The Mariana fruit bat was reportedly compromised, at least in part, due to overconsumption as food. The Bridled white eye, like many other birds in Guam, was decimated by the invasive brown-tree snake. mbj