Howell D J, Hodgkin N
J Morphol. 1976 Mar;148(3):329-39. doi: 10.1002/jmor.1051480305.
Scales on the hairs of pollinating bats spread out at an angle to the main hair shaft. In contrast, the hairs of most bats not associated with plants are relatively smooth. Both megachiropteran and microchiropteran flower-feeding bats show this divaricate scale structure which may aid in the collection of a heavy coating of pollen. Some of the pollen is transferred to subsequent flowers, but most is groomed from the fur and ingested as the only reliable nitrogen source for the bat. The tongues of nectar-feeding bats also show structural modifications which allow efficient uptake of the carbohydrate fraction of the diet. Structural specializations of the hiars and tongue are analogous to those seen in other nectar-feeding animals.
授粉蝙蝠毛发上的鳞片与毛发主干呈一定角度展开。相比之下，大多数与植物无关的蝙蝠的毛发相对光滑。大型蝙蝠和小型食花蝙蝠都呈现出这种散开的鳞片结构，这可能有助于收集厚厚的一层花粉。一些花粉被转移到后续花朵上，但大多数花粉会从皮毛上梳理下来并被蝙蝠摄取，作为其唯一可靠的氮源。食蜜蝙蝠的舌头也有结构上的改变，使其能够有效地摄取食物中的碳水化合物部分。毛发和舌头的结构特化与其他食蜜动物的类似。
