Madagascar’s largest fruit bat is getting smaller, and hunting may be partly to blame, a recent study suggests. The Malagasy flying fox (Pteropus rufus) feeds mainly on fruit and nectar, making it an important pollinator and seed disperser. But the species is also hunted for meat, both for subsistence and commercial…

Madagascan flying foxes aren’t as mighty as they were 150 years ago. The big bats have shrunk, possibly due to selective hunting or other human impacts.