I took a shot of this while we were on our way to Zoobic Safari in Subic Bay in Olongapo City last year. This camp of over 10,000 fruit bats, readily seen at the Subic Bay Freeport, is one of the last large bat colonies of its kind. Found only in the Philippines, the Golden Crowned Flying Fox (Acerodon jubatus) and the Philippine Giant Fruit Bat (Pteropus vampyrus lanensis) are the largest bats in the world, with wingspans up to 2 meters. Bats such as these eat only plants and are critically important to the health of tropical forests in the Philippines. By dispersing the seeds of forest fruits and spreading pollen between the forest flowers they visit, fruit bats maintain and restore forests by aiding in the reproduction of forest plants. Many fruit crops important to people, such as durian, wild banana, and kapok, also rely on fruit bats for their reproduction. Their cute, puppy-like faces add to their appeal. Despite this, fruit bats are heavily hunted, and the loss of their forest homes has made many of these bats endangered with extinction.
Source: http://www.greatersubic.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=78&Itemid=47
