Bats: Partners in Pollination List of Images Audiovisual Program photos copyright: Merlin D. Tuttle Produced by: Bat Conservation International Inc. P.O. Box 162603 Austin, Texas 78716

Updated: 4/24/01

IMAGES	REFERENCE INFORMATION
1. Collage of flowering plant habitats and pollinators (clockwise from top left): ---rain forests of American Samoa, ---lantana flowers (Lantana camara) pollinated by butterfly in French Guiana, ---Weberbauer cacti (Weberbauerocereus weberbaueri) in the Peruvian desert, ---great fruit bat (Artibeus lituratus) pollinating a shaving brush flower (Pseudobombax septinatum) in Panama (#1 of 10).	Our planet contains an amazing diversity of plants, approximately a quarter of a million species. They provide essential food and shelter, without which we and most other animals would quickly die. In turn, many plants cannot survive without animals to pollinate their flowers and disperse their seeds. Each plant has its own unique needs, some relying on many kinds of animals, others on just a few or even one. Butterflies, bees, bats and birds each pollinate plants that others cannot. From deserts to rain forests, flowering plants have developed a wide range of colors, shapes, sizes and forms, all designed to guarantee that a particular pollinator spreads pollen from plant to plant, ensuring the production of new seeds.
2. Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) (#2 of 10)	This Mexican long-tongued bat (Choeronycteris mexicana) has just returned to its roost after drinking nectar from agave flowers in the Chihuahuan Desert. Pollen stuck to its face has been carried from flower to flower, and what remains will be eaten as a rich source of protein. Bats with very long noses and tongues use these special adaptations to more efficiently obtain nectar. They, and the plants that rely them, live throughout the world's tropical and subtropical areas, sometimes so well adapted to each other that neither can survive alone.
3. Lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae) pollinating saguaro flower (Carnegia gigantea) (#3 of 10)	This endangered lesser long-nosed bat (Leptonycteris curasoae) is pollinating a saguaro cactus flower in the Sonoran Desert. In American deserts, bats are the most efficient pollinators for dozens of species of agave plants, as well as for many giant cacti including saguaro, organ pipe and cardon. These 10- 50-foot-tall (3-15 m) plants provide essential food and shelter for countless other plants and animals, but in turn, rely heavily on bats for pollination and seed dispersal. The saguaro lives the farthest north where pollinators are less predictable and thus keeps its flowers open both night and day, relying on birds and bees in addition to bats.
4. Commissaris' nectar bat (Glossophaga commissarisi) pollinating markea flowers (Markea sp.) (#4 of 10)	Hanging markea vine flowers begin to open at sundown and are visited soon after by Commissaris' nectar bats (Glossophaga commissarisi), their only known pollinators. These flowers hang free from entangling vegetation allowing bats to approach unencumbered from below. Nectar-feeding bats are key pollinators throughout the American tropics where reliance on bats appears to have arisen independently in over two-dozen plant families, encompassing more than 500 different species, many of which are of great ecological or economic value.
5. Southern blossom bat (Syconycteris australis) pollinating swamp banksia (Banksia robur) (#5 of 10)	Worldwide, flowers that rely on bats for pollination come in an amazing variety. This strange-looking swamp banksia plant of Australia is being pollinated by a southern blossom bat (Syconycteris australis), a tiny flying fox.
6. Gray-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) pollinating flowers of red mahogany tree (Eucalyptus umbra) (#6 of 10)	Gray-headed flying foxes (Pteropus poliocephalus) have wingspans of four feet (1.2 m.) and can pollinate hundreds of flowers at a time, as they land and take off from large clusters of tiny, nectar-laden flowers. These and several other flying fox species are primary pollinators for a large portion of Australia's most ecologically and economically important trees. Most bats that eat nectar or fruit eat both, though some rely more on nectar, others on fruit. Many flying foxes are equally important dispersers of seeds.
7. A spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) pollinating a black bean tree (Castanospermum australe) (#7 of 10)	Spectacled flying foxes (Pteropus conspicillatus) are important pollinators of black bean trees, one of Australia's most important timber resources. More than 140 species of plants in the Old World tropics rely on flying foxes for pollination and these yield over 300 products of economic value including drinks, dyes, fibers, animal fodder, food, fresh fruit, fuel wood, medicines, ornamental plants, tannins, timber and other wood products. Yet, the bats that pollinate these valuable plants are often intensely persecuted by people who are ignorant of their many values.
8. Short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx) pollinating wild banana flowers (Musa sp.) (#8 of 10)	This short-nosed fruit bat (Cynopterus sphinx), a small flying fox, is pollinating a wild banana plant in Thailand. Approximately 70 percent of the fruits sold in tropical markets rely on bats for pollination or seed dispersal in the wild. These include bananas, plantains, breadfruit, peaches, dates, figs and many more. Maintenance of wild stocks of these invaluable plants is essential since they provide genetic variety required to resist diseases.
9. Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat (Epomophorus wahlbergi) approaching baobab flower (Adansonia digitata) in East Africa (#9 of 10)/b>	Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bats (Epomophorus wahlbergi) are key pollinators of Africa's famous baobab tree. Some baobabs may be 4,000 years old with circumferences of over 90 feet (28 m.)! This species is often called Africa's tree of life for the immense amount of food and shelter it provides for savannah animals. Its continued survival is dependant in no small part on bats. Its flowers open soon after sundown and produce abundant nectar at the base of each petal. The flower's reproductive organs hang so that bats cannot land and feed without becoming covered in pollen. They typically are visited by bats immediately after opening, dropping their showy petals by morning.
10. A Marianas fruit bat (Pteropus mariannus) pollinating a kapok flower (Ceiba pentandra) (#10 of 10)	On some Pacific and Indian Ocean islands, flying foxes, such as this Marianas fruit bat (Pteropus mariannus), pollinate flowers or disperse seeds of up to half of all tree and shrub species found there. This bat is pollinating flowers of a giant kapok tree, found throughout the world's tropics. Its seed pods contain high quality fibers sold for insulation, life jackets and cushions. Despite its key role as a pollinator, this species of flying fox is endangered and several others are already extinct from overexploitation as food delicacies. The health of some of the world's unique island ecosystems hinges on our ability to protect remaining populations and aid in their recovery from decades of neglect. Wherever bats are found, they are a fundamental part of our natural world. Pollination is just one of the many fascinating and important contributions bats make to the health of ecosystems and human economies. Unfortunately, myths and superstitions are still having devastating impact on bat survival. Bat Conservation International is educating people worldwide to understand these invaluable allies. We urge you to join us in this endeavor.