Several hundred years ago in Europe, bats were considered evil, dirty, and mysterious. These feelings were passed on through legends. Today we know that the many myths surrounding bats are false. But, because of these myths, some people still harm bats. In fact, because of human actions, many species have become endangered.
Bats play a valuable role in the ecosystem.
Worldwide, bats are the most important natural enemies of night-flying insects. In the tropics, bats pollinate flowers and disperse seeds. The mega-bats, about 150 species, are called fruit bats because many of them eat fruit, nectar, and pollen. They are also called flying foxes because they have big eyes for finding food and they have a face that looks somewhat like a fox. The micro-bats, all 800 species, are insect eaters.