{
  "id": 17068334,
  "title": "Museum specimens reveal shrinking flying foxes in Madagascar, with commercial hunting suspected",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/museum-specimens-reveal-shrinking-flying-foxes-in-madagascar-with",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-29T14:00:08.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Phys.org",
    "slug": "phys-org",
    "url": "https://phys.org/news/2026-10-museum-specimens-reveal-flying-foxes.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Madagascar's flying foxes, the world's largest bats, are shrinking in size, according to a new study published in the Journal of Mammalogy. Scientists suspect this change in body size is linked to heavy commercial hunting. The researchers, both from the Field Museum in Chicago, noticed that the museum specimens of these fruit bats were larger than the living bats they observed during recent fieldwork. Emily Cornelius Ruhs, the lead author, initially considered factors like temperature changes or habitat loss, but later learned that under Madagascar's national law, these bats are considered vermin and are hunted for food. Steve Goodman, a Field Museum biologist with extensive experience in Madagascar, noted that many historical specimens were much larger than the current population, leading him to conclude that the bats have been declining in size due to increased hunting. By examining 121 museum specimens collected over 150 years, the researchers found a clear decline in size starting around 1980, coinciding with a shift towards commercial hunting. While the study establishes a correlation between the bats' shrinking size and commercial hunting, it does not explicitly prove causation. Other factors, such as deforestation, climate change, and shifting fruit availability, could also contribute to the decline in size. The study emphasizes the importance of museum collections in understanding species changes over time and suggests that higher levels of protection, particularly at breeding sites, are necessary to prevent the population collapse of Madagascar's flying foxes.",
  "summary": "Flying foxes are the biggest bats in the world; they look like German shepherd puppies with 5-foot (1.5-meter) wingspans. But Madagascar's flying foxes are shrinking.",
  "key_points": [
    "Flying foxes in Madagascar are shrinking in size.",
    "Commercial hunting suspected as cause.",
    "Study links decline to hunting since 1980."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}