Not all bats eat insects!
Eating insects is by far the most common diet found among the 1,300 species of bats worldwide, however, the pollinating role of nectar-feeding bats is just as important.
Flowers produce a musty, rotten odor to attract bats
While some of the flowers that attract bats can be quite beautiful, you probably wouldnât want to receive a bouquet of them. To attract these flying mammals flowering plants have evolved a musty or rotten perfume.
Without bats we would have no tequila
Are you an adult who enjoys Tequila? Then you need to raise your glass to the pollinating bats that helped to bring it to us! Tequila is made from the agave plant, which relies solely on bats to pollinate its flowers and reproduce.
One species of nectar-feeding bat has the longest mammal tongue in the world
The rare Anoura fistulata, a nectar-feeding bat from South America, is only the size of a mouse, but its tongue is around 8.5 centimeters long, making it up to 150% of its body length! With such a long tongue it couldnât possibly keep all of it in its mouth. Instead, A. fistulata keeps the tongue in its chest, in a cavity between the heart and sternum.
Thank you to the National Wildlife Federation for these fun pollinating bat facts!