COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO. -- Sean Anglum and Nicole Mantz from the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo introduced FOX21 Morning Show viewers to "Cleopatra" and "Nefertiti," two Egyptian fruit bats who make their home at The Loft at the zoo.
According to Mantz, these bats are one of the largest members of the bat world with a wingspan somewhere between 4-5 feet. They're also vital cogs in the food supply wheel.
Since they primarily only eat fruit, seeds from that fruit make their way from bat droppings into the soil and eventually more fruit grows. Their snouts are also designed more like a dog, which allows them to better burrow into fruit and also help pollinate flowers.
There are roughly 1,100 species of bats in all corners of the world (except for Antarctica) and of those bats, about 70 percent eat insects -- some are able to chow down on upwards of 2,000 insects in one night. This is an important point, at least according to Anglum.
"If we didn't have bats and these types of insectivores, we'd be covered with all sorts of bugs," he said.
If you'd like to learn more about bats, click here. Or stop by the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.
TV Station Profiles & Public Inspection Files forKXRM