Nectar-feeding bats burn up sugar faster than any other mammals on Earth,
scientists believe.
The UK-German team found that the creatures began to metabolise nectar
within minutes of drinking it.
The researchers said the animals needed to extract as much energy as
possible from their food because their hovering flight used up so much fuel.
The study, published in the journal Functional Ecology, looked at
long-tongued nectar bats.
Glossophaga soricina are among the smallest mammals known, weighing less
than 10g. The nocturnal animals are found across South and Central America
and scoop nectar from flowers using their long, thin tongues while hovering,
much like hummingbirds do.
They can drink up to 1.5 times their body weight in nectar each day.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6929767.stm
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