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Natural Resources
American Samoa is home to many different birds and fish and a few
very interesting mammals.
Bats are the only native mammals found in American Samoa. They
are harmless to people. There are two species of flying foxes
(fruit bats) and one insect-eating bat species here. The fruit
bats, the Samoan flying fox and the white-collared flying fox,
are as large as one pound with a wing span of 3 feet. They eat
pollen and fruits and serve an essential role in the ecology of
the native rainforest by pollinating plants and dispersing seeds.
On oceanic islands, birds are usually the most abundant and diverse
group of animals. This park is home to more than 35 species,
both resident and migratory, including seabirds, water birds,
forest birds, and shore birds. The cliffs and sea stacks are
ideal nesting habitat for tropical seabirds, while the rainforest
is home to collared kingfishers, cardinal and wattled honeyeaters,
bluecrowned lories, Samoan starlings, purple-capped fruit doves,
many-colored fruit doves, Pacific pigeons, and banded rails.
Coral reefs abound in our coastal waters and are the homes of
nearly 900 fish species, over 200 coral species, and countless
other invertebrates. Many of these are harvested by villagers.
If you were visiting our park in person, we would introduce you
to our natural resources. We hope that our on line visitors will
take the time to learn about some of our natural treasures.
The Natural History Guide to American
Samoa is the online version of our latest book.
The Fish
Inventory is a Samoan "Fish List" but includes many
excellent photographs of local fish.
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