Fruit bats do not actually eat fruit, but nectar and pollen. In fact, they play a crucial role in the ecosystem of the Maldives as they are instrumental in seed dispersal and pollination.

In fact, in the Atoll islands of the Maldives, there are only a limited number of birds and insects. Thus, the fruit bats are the only flying animals there that are large enough to carry large seeds. They disperse seeds in their droppings and carry fruits even to distant lands and act as agents of pollination.

Their pollination services are essential for some commercially produced plant products such as mangoes, bananas, guyas, and coconuts. In total, more than 40 plant families are pollinated by bats.

Unfortunately, the subspecies, Pteropus hypomelanus maris of the Maldives is an endangered species due to "excessive culling and limited distribution."

Incidentally, they are called ?fruit bats? because they look as if they are dark fruit, hanging from trees.