Orange nectar bat Merlin Tuttle National Geographic
Costa Rica
Merlin Tuttle
An orange nectar bat pollinates a tank plant in a Costa Rican rain forest. These bromeliads work as rainwater reservoirs in the tree canopy, providing habitats for insects and frogs. Flowers on the stalks work as echo-reflectors to guide bats in the dark during their approach. A story on echolocation will run in an upcoming Geographic.
The orange nectar bat is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is found in Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.
Scientific name: Lonchophylla robusta
Higher classification: Lonchophylla
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