Megabats, particularly flying foxes, are featured in indigenous cultures and traditions.
Folk stories from Australia and Papua New Guinea feature them.

They were also included in Indigenous Australian cave art, as evinced by several surviving examples.

Indigenous societies in Oceania used parts of flying foxes for functional and ceremonial weapons.
In the Solomon Islands, people created barbs out of their bones for use in spears.
In New Caledonia, ceremonial axes made of jade were decorated with braids of flying fox fur.
Flying fox wings were depicted on the war shields of the Asmat people of Indonesia; they believed that the wings offered protection to their warriors.

There are modern and historical references to flying fox byproducts used as currency.
In New Caledonia, braided flying fox fur was once used as currency.

On the island of Makira, which is part of the Solomon Islands, indigenous peoples still hunt flying foxes for their teeth as well as for bushmeat.

The canine teeth are strung together on necklaces that are used as currency.
Teeth of the insular flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) are particularly prized, as they are usually large enough to drill holes in.
The Makira flying fox (Pteropus cognatus) is also hunted, despite its smaller teeth.
Deterring people from using flying fox teeth as currency may be detrimental to the species, with Lavery and Fasi noting, "Species that provide an important cultural resource can be highly treasured."
Emphasizing sustainable hunting of flying foxes to preserve cultural currency may be more effective than encouraging the abandonment of cultural currency.
Even if flying foxes were no longer hunted for their teeth, they would still be killed for bushmeat; therefore, retaining their cultural value may encourage sustainable hunting practices.
Lavery stated, "It's a positive, not a negative, that their teeth are so culturally valuable.
The practice of hunting bats shouldn't necessarily be stopped, it needs to be managed sustainably."
Megabats, particularly flying foxes, are featured in indigenous cultures and traditions. Folk stories from Australia and Papua New Guinea feature them.
They were also included in Indigenous Australian cave art, as evinced by several surviving examples.
Indigenous societies in Oceania used parts of flying foxes for functional and ceremonial weapons. In the Solomon Islands, people created barbs out of their bones for use in spears. In New Caledonia, ceremonial axes made of jade were decorated with braids of flying fox fur. Flying fox wings were depicted on the war shields of the Asmat people of Indonesia; they believed that the wings offered protection to their warriors.
There are modern and historical references to flying fox byproducts used as currency. In New Caledonia, braided flying fox fur was once used as currency.
On the island of Makira, which is part of the Solomon Islands, indigenous peoples still hunt flying foxes for their teeth as well as for bushmeat.
The canine teeth are strung together on necklaces that are used as currency. Teeth of the insular flying fox (Pteropus tonganus) are particularly prized, as they are usually large enough to drill holes in. The Makira flying fox (Pteropus cognatus) is also hunted, despite its smaller teeth. Deterring people from using flying fox teeth as currency may be detrimental to the species, with Lavery and Fasi noting, "Species that provide an important cultural resource can be highly treasured." Emphasizing sustainable hunting of flying foxes to preserve cultural currency may be more effective than encouraging the abandonment of cultural currency. Even if flying foxes were no longer hunted for their teeth, they would still be killed for bushmeat; therefore, retaining their cultural value may encourage sustainable hunting practices. Lavery stated, "It's a positive, not a negative, that their teeth are so culturally valuable. The practice of hunting bats shouldn't necessarily be stopped, it needs to be managed sustainably."
Megabat