Living Art / 25 August, 2023
For One Night Only
Lords Pollinators | Unique flying mammals
To capture nectar loving bats feeding at night is a real photographic challenge. But being close to a pristine forest and illuminating the darkness helped me to be able to snap this exceptional night shot that reveals the scarlet tongue of a bat as it feeds. The rainforest is home to Merinthopodium neuranthum, a member of the Solanaceae plant family. The flowers hang from branches and are pollinated by bats. Each flower opens for just one single night, though not all at the same time, so I had to learn to identify a bud that was poised to bloom that evening in order to set up around it. I used a technique known as high-speed photography to freeze the moment, capturing the rapid wing beats and unfurling tongues of the bats. It took thousands of images over five consecutive nights, each time with a different flower, to get just this one. Nectarivorous bats use vision, smell and echolocation to find their food sources. While feeding they inadvertently act as pollinators, providing this essential service to hundreds of plant species worldwide.
Highly Commended. Behaviour: Mammals category. WPY 2024 - Wildlife Photographer of the Year.
Guápiles
10°12’43” N | 83°52’27” W
Limón, Costa Rica