Page 15 - ARUBA TODAY

A15
LOCAL Tuesday 20 augusT 2019

Insular Echo Alert Episode XXXI

Continued from Page 14

Bats eat insects, “ are so-called ‘insectivorous’. They feast
on insects each night, adding up to more than 3 million
AWG worth of pest control each year on the island. When
bats are around to eat insects, there are fewer insect
pests causing damage to crops and gardens. If agricul-
ture is to become the next call, farmers don’t have to
invest as much in pesticides. Imagine a teenage boy eat-
ing 200 quarter-pound burgers -- that’s how much a bat
eats in insects on an average night!

Several species of bats of Aruba eat nectar. Many types of
our endemic plants of our ecosystem rely on bats for polli-
nation and seed dispersal, such as quedebexii, huliba the
agave species, candelabra cacti’s etc., All around the is-
land and in our national park, long-nose and long-tongue
bats are perfectly adapted to pollinate these plants, and
they provide extensive value to the agricultural industry.
So next time you see our agave in bloom, happy mock-
ing birds, a zooming humming bird and delicious cactus
dates, say thank you to the bats. Just as some bats rely on
thousands of insects each night for survival, other animals
in the ecosystem rely on bats for their calories. Hawks,
falcons, and owls eat bats, and mammals like cats, and
rats and intrusive reptiles like boas sometimes attack bats
while they roost. Technological advances in engineering
has incorporated some of bats’ special features like of
their wing membranes and echolocation have inspired
Drones that have thin and flexible bat-like wings are. The
wingsuits used by base jumpers take more than a few tips Pic.5. an agave variety in bloom
from bats’ aerodynamic feacher. q