Bat Pollination.
Category: Nature
Photo and caption by Geoffrey Gomes
Bats are members of the mammalian order, Chiroptera, meaning "hand-wing." The elongated finger bones of this bat's "hand-wing" can be clearly seen here grasping the flower-cluster of a Silk Cotton Tree. The nectar the bat is drinking isn't free, however, and the yellow pollen deposited on its face will be carried to another flowering Silk Cotton in return for the tree's delicious bribe. This photo was taken at the crown level of a flowering Silk Cotton Tree in northwest Trinidad. February, 2012.
Location: Chaguaramas, Trinidad. W.I.
