Endangered Species Chocolate
What would a life without pollinators look like…Well a world with out chocolate! That would be a pretty bleak world in my opinion. Some of my favorite desserts are chocolate. Others seem to agree because the chocolate industry brings in about $50 billion dollars a year worldwide!
Who do we have to thank for our delicious treats? Bats and other pollinators! Monkeys and other small mammals even help with seed dispersal.
Lesser long-nosed bat - Photo taken by Merlin D. Tuttle of Bat Conservation International
Chocolate isn’t the only food we can thank pollinators for. Bats are the major pollinators for bananas, dates, coconut, cloves, vanilla, Brazil nuts, avocados, and the agave plant (tequila)!
For more Bee-lieve it or Not facts, come join the Houston Zoo in celebrating National Polinator Week on June 26th and 27th. We will have tables and chats from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. all about our favorite pollinators. Bee sure to record your pollinating adventures in a nature blog to share at the Swap Shop!
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