What is the role of fruit bats in nature? Objective Students will be able to: 1. Define the vocabulary term fruit bats. 2. Identify and explain the role of fruit bats in American Samoa's tropical rainforest ecosystem. 3. Learn about the role of the National Park of American Samoa in protecting fruit bats. Background Large flying foxes, also known as fruit bats, are one of the more unusual animals in American Samoa, especially for visitors from areas where bats are small and rarely seen. Three species inhabit our islands – two large fruit bats ( Pteropus samoensis , P. tonganus ) and a small in Duration: 60 Minutes.