Marianas Treasures - Furry, Flying Fanihi CLOSE WINDOW

The Marianas Fruit Bat feeds on fruits and leaves.  Fanihi live together in groups or colonies. A very special local creature, the Marianas Fruit Bat, or Fanihi in Chamorro, lives no where else in the world except here in the Mariana Islands.  Many years ago thousands of Fanihi lived side by side with the native people.  They were considered a favorite local delicacy by some and were hunted until they were nearly extinct.  Today they are classified as an endangered species and are protected by law.  Hopefully in the future we will be able to see more furry Fanihi flying around in the Marianas' forests. PREVIOUS TREASURE

Photo and text by Larry Lee. Born and raised in rural Hawaii, Larry grew up spending much of his time outdoors fishing, surfing, hiking and exploring.  After receiving a B.S. degree in Biology from Oregon State University, he served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in a rural village in Palawan province in  the Philippines.  Since 1983, he has been living and traveling in the Asia/Pacific region, working in the Philippines, Hong Kong at a private resort, teaching English in Japan, and captaining a sportfishing charter boat in Alaska.  He then moved to Saipan with his wife Winnie in 1989.  He worked for two years with the CNMI Dept. of Natural Resources in developing environmental education programs and then transferred to a local full-service advertising agency.  In 1994, he started his own advertising/design company specializing in marketing, advertising, graphic design and photography.  He was awarded the CNMI Governor’s Award for Outstanding Visual Artist in 1997.  In September 2000, he began working as the Marketing and Public Relations Manager at the Northern Marianas College.  He has two children and resides with his family in Papago.