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Bat-loving Flowers
More than 500 species of tropical plants are pollinated by nectar- and pollen-eating bats, and they have evolved special features to make their nectar and pollen attractive to the nocturnal flyers. Such plants are called chiropterophilous, or “bat-loving” (bats being mammals of the order Chiroptera). Plants that rely primarily on bat pollinators cater to them with large, white flowers, which bats can spot easily at night. The flowers often have a fermented or musky odour, and they tend to open after sunset, just as bats leave their day roosts to feed. In order to accommodate a bat’s face, many bat-pollinated ...(100 of 274 words)