Bat Watching, Anyone?

Beyond the horror stories, one can really learn to appreciate bats and become emphatic in their struggle to survive.

Bats are actually very gentle creatures, an exact opposite portrayed in the movies.
Most bats eat insects (a good tool for malaria control in the tropics) while others eat fruits. Still, some prefer the nectar of flowers of forest trees and they actually pollinate those flowers! It is said that if the fruit bats die, so will the Durian trees. Bat scientists say that this animal is responsible in maintaining and spreading a very large portion of tropical rainforests.

Bat watching is actually a tourism product in some areas. People go out to see giant fruit bats or hundreds of thousand of insect bats darkening the skies as they fly out in the dusk.

Is this a tuxedo party or what?

This particular bat, the Geoffrey's Rousette Fruit Bat that is found in a tiny sinkhole in Samal Island, Davao del Norte (near Davao City). This sinkhole (or cave) has that largest concentration of that particular species. This place is a great way to see up close these chatering, flying mammals.

Can you imagine if bats could actually walk upright?