Fruit, nectar, bugs and blood: How bat teeth and jaws evolved for a diverse dinnertime

Noctilionoid bat species evolved wildly different faces as they adapted to exploit diverse food sources — including insects, fruit, nectar, blood and fish. New research shows that those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position.

​Noctilionoid bat species evolved wildly different faces as they adapted to exploit diverse food sources — including insects, fruit, nectar, blood and fish. New research shows that those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position. Noctilionoid bat species evolved wildly different faces as they adapted to exploit diverse food sources — including insects, fruit, nectar, blood and fish. New research shows that those adaptations include dramatic, but also consistent, modifications to tooth number, size, shape and position.