A colony can eat 6,000 tons of insects in one year. Just like bees and butterflies, tropical bats can transfer pollen as they fly from plant to plant. They digest bananas, mangoes, guavas, and berries in 20 minutes. The seeds of the fruit are dropped by the bats as they are flying. This reseeds large areas of land.
Bats live in barns, attics, and caves.
They like anyplace that is dark. They usually live in small groups. But their colony size can be in the 1,000's. Their droppings, called guano, are a great fertilizer used by farmers and gardeners. Scientists study bats to find ways to help blind people be more mobile.