Pallid bats are fierce little predators and usually eat scorpions and large insects. They are even immune to scorpion venom! But they have a sweet tooth, too.
About 20 years ago a researcher (W. Frick) discovered they were also regular night visitors to the flowers of cardon cacti. At first, they thought the bats were going after insects in the flowers, but soon documented that they were regularly feeding on the flower nectar (and the fruit).
These little cuties do not have the long muzzles and tongues found on most nectar feeding bats, so they just plunge their entire faces and torsos into the flower to access the nectar literally coating themselves with pollen. Their messy feeding habits are a boon to the cacti.
Their pollen covered faces and bodies actually end up delivering more pollen to the next flower they visit than the cardon cactus' primary pollinator species, the Lesser-nosed bat (a nectar and fruit eating bat). (FYl....the netting in the photo is from a mist net used by researchers to capture bats in the field)
8 Comments
ickplant@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 206d
Pallid bats are fierce little predators and usually eat scorpions and large insects. They are even immune to scorpion venom! But they have a sweet tooth, too.
About 20 years ago a researcher (W. Frick) discovered they were also regular night visitors to the flowers of cardon cacti. At first, they thought the bats were going after insects in the flowers, but soon documented that they were regularly feeding on the flower nectar (and the fruit).
These little cuties do not have the long muzzles and tongues found on most nectar feeding bats, so they just plunge their entire faces and torsos into the flower to access the nectar literally coating themselves with pollen. Their messy feeding habits are a boon to the cacti.
Their pollen covered faces and bodies actually end up delivering more pollen to the next flower they visit than the cardon cactus' primary pollinator species, the Lesser-nosed bat (a nectar and fruit eating bat). (FYl....the netting in the photo is from a mist net used by researchers to capture bats in the field)
Source: Badger Run Wildlife Rehab
Semi_Hemi_Demigod@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 206d
Aww he looks so happy
edgarde@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 206d
But imagine the hangover he'll have tomorrow morning.
jqubed@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 206d
Worth it!
Major_Tsiom@fedia.io · 9 pts · 206d
He seems to be proud of it!
ElcaineVolta@kbin.melroy.org · 8 pts · 206d
"ayyy lmao" - this bat
ickplant@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 206d
I feel like this is very accurate based on how hard this bat is hitting the pollen.
southsamurai@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 206d
Little homie looks like he's fresh home after snorting a line off a stripper's ass
And
It
Is
Marvelous!