Fruit bat

A bat that eats mainly fruit, often dispersing seeds as it feeds. Fruit bats include species in several bat families, not just the Old World family Pteropodidae.

Frugivory: A feeding strategy in which animals eat fruit. Fruit bats are defined by this feeding strategy, though fruit is not always their only food.
Chiroptera: The mammalian order comprising all bats. Fruit bats are members of this order, whose species occupy many ecological roles.
Tropical forest regeneration: The renewal of tropical forests through plant growth and ecological succession. Dispersed seeds help regenerate forests, particularly after disturbance.
Mutualism: An interaction between species in which both gain a benefit. Plants gain seed dispersal or pollination, while bats gain food.
Large flying fox: A large Pteropus bat native to South and Southeast Asia. It exemplifies large-bodied fruit bats that travel between feeding sites and roosts.
Seed dispersal: The movement of seeds away from the plants that produced them. Seeds swallowed or carried away from feeding sites can germinate far from parent plants.
Pteropodidae: A family of bats commonly called flying foxes or Old World fruit bats. Many familiar fruit bats belong to this family, but it does not include all fruit-eating bats.
Reforestation: The re-establishment of forest on land where forest was removed or degraded. Fruit bats can move seeds into cleared or recovering areas.
Tropical deforestation: The large-scale removal of tropical forest. Forest loss reduces fruit resources and roosting habitat for many fruit bats.
Island flying fox: A species of flying fox native to islands of the western Indian Ocean. Its island distribution illustrates how fruit bats can shape isolated plant communities.

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