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Bat Cam Information

Bats are mammals (the only mammals capable of true flight) and fall into two different suborders, megabats and microbats.

Microbats

Microbats are identified by their small eyes, big ears, and flat noses. They rely mainly on echolocation for navigation and hunting. Microbats are insectivores and come out at night to feed on flying insects. During the day, they find shelter in caves and other dark areas.

Megabats

Megabats, which are also called flying foxes or fruit bats, have bigger eyes, smaller ears, and a longer nose. As their name implies, they mainly feed on fruit or nectar. All of the bats on the bat camera fall into this category.

Fruit Bats and Pollination

Bats play an important role in their ecosphere. By ingesting seeds and passing them through their digestive tract, bats disperse seeds and help regenerate forests after fires or clear-cutting.

Like bees and butterflies, some nectar-eating bats unintentionally pollinate flowers. When a fruit bat feeds on the nectar of a flower or fruit blossom, grains of sticky pollen attach to their body. When the bat moves on to feed on a different flower, the pollen fertilizes the female stigma. This allows the plant to germinate and create new seeds.

What does a fruit bat eat?

As the name implies, fruit bats are frugivores and eat fruit. Because there are so many species of fruit bats spread throughout a large range, their diet varies widely depending on location. Tropical fruits such as bananas, mangos and dates tend to be favorites.

Get involved! If you enjoy watching the bat cam, please consider leaving a comment in the section below!

  • topic: bats

  • location: bloomfield

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about the bat cam

Fruit Bat Cam logo

Explore welcomes Vampire and Fruit Bats to its Pearls of the Planet live nature cam collection.

Bats evoke imagery of fear and are often misrepresented by media. These bat cams provide an intimate look at their lives while bat experts shed light on bats’ numerous contributions to safeguarding the world’s fragile ecosystem. For instance, bats are the sole pollinators for hundreds of species of flowers. Without them we wouldn’t have many of the foods we eat and drink - including tequila.

This Fruit Bat webcam is set up in one of their fruit bat enclosures, which houses several different species of Fruit Bats from across the world! Watch live as bats - including flying foxes, the world’s largest species - eat, sleep, and just hang out. Learn about these nocturnal creatures from lead scientists and how you can help #SaveTheBats.

These live cams are hosted by non-profit Organization for Bat Conservation, founded in 1992 in Michigan, who has dedicated the last twenty five years in promoting bat education and rehabilitation. They’ve rescued or rehabilitated hundreds of Vampire and Fruit Bats, now living under their care in the ”Bat Zone” on the campus of the Cranbrook Institute of Science.

about

location: Bloomfield Hills, MI

best hours: 24/7

time zone: Eastern Daylight Time

links: Organization for Bat Conservation
Get Involved
About Bats
Save the Bats (@BatConservation)

Bat Cam Information

Bats are mammals (the only mammals capable of true flight) and fall into two different suborders, megabats and microbats.

Microbats

Microbats are identified by their small eyes, big ears, and flat noses. They rely mainly on echolocation for navigation and hunting. Microbats are insectivores and come out at night to feed on flying insects. During the day, they find shelter in caves and other dark areas.

Megabats

Megabats, which are also called flying foxes or fruit bats, have bigger eyes, smaller ears, and a longer nose. As their name implies, they mainly feed on fruit or nectar. All of the bats on the bat camera fall into this category.

Fruit Bats and Pollination

Bats play an important role in their ecosphere. By ingesting seeds and passing them through their digestive tract, bats disperse seeds and help regenerate forests after fires or clear-cutting.

Like bees and butterflies, some nectar-eating bats unintentionally pollinate flowers. When a fruit bat feeds on the nectar of a flower or fruit blossom, grains of sticky pollen attach to their body. When the bat moves on to feed on a different flower, the pollen fertilizes the female stigma. This allows the plant to germinate and create new seeds.

What does a fruit bat eat?

As the name implies, fruit bats are frugivores and eat fruit. Because there are so many species of fruit bats spread throughout a large range, their diet varies widely depending on location. Tropical fruits such as bananas, mangos and dates tend to be favorites.

Get involved! If you enjoy watching the bat cam, please consider leaving a comment in the section below!

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