Pallid bats live mostly in the western United States in arid regions below 6,000 feet. These bats feed almost entirely on ground dwelling insects, scorpions, and centipedes. Many bats also are important plant pollinators and seed dispersers especially in tropical areas. Throughout these areas fruit and nectar eating bats are vital for plant survival. Some of the plants that bats pollinate and aid in seed dispersal, are vital to the entire ecosystem of a forest.
Many plants bloom at night and use special odors or flower shapes to attract bats.
A good example of this is the baobab tree of the east African Savannah. In order to reach the plant s nectar upon which it feeds, it must contact the flower s reproductive organs in order to pollinate the plant. Bats are also important to many economically valuable crop plants such as bananas, avocados, and mangoes. Most crops are now commercially cultivated, but wild stocks are necessary to produce more productive, disease resistant strains. More than 300 plant species in the Old World tropics alone rely on bat seed dispersal and pollination alone, and more species are being discovered daily.