Facts about Bat
The smallest bat (also the smallest mammal) is the bumblebee bat, or Kitti's hog-nosed bat, of Thailand (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), which weighs only two grams (0.07 oz).
Some of the smaller bat species are important pollinators of some tropical flowers.
The vampire bat of South America (Desmodus rotundus) drinks the blood of living animals.
Tiger moths produce ultrasonic signals to warn the bats that the moths are chemically-protected (aposematism) (this was once thought to be a form of "radar jamming," but this theory has been disproved).
Only the mother cares for the young, and there is no continuous partnership with male bats.
Bats can quickly become dehydrated because of water loss through their wing membranes.
Young microbats become independent at the age of six to eight weeks, megabats not until they are four months old.
By emitting high-pitched sounds and listening to the echoes, also known as sonar, microbats locate prey and other nearby objects.
Some bats also have a "noseleaf," a structure on the nose that is involved in echolocation (Fenton 1998, Voelker 1986).
Insect-eating bats also play an important role in controlling insect populations (Richardson 2002).
Many bats roost in caves where they can find constant conditions and where predators can not reach them.
The fastest bat is the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), which can reach speeds of 40 mph in level flight and 80 mph in dives (65 and 130 kph).
Echolocating microbats produce short bursts of sound, up to 200 per second.
A single bat can live over 20 years, but the bat population growth is limited by the slow birth rate.
Bat droppings, or guano, are harvested from caves where bats roost for use as fertilizer (Schober 1984).
The motion of a star relative to the Sun can provide useful information about the origin and age of a star, as well as the structure and evolution of the surrounding galaxy.
The cells are concentrated in areas of the membrane where insects hit the wings when the bats capture them (Calhoun 2005).
Care must be taken in visiting bat roosting sites and in handling live bats (Fenton 1998).
The external ears of most microbats are very large for their size and are often shaped and folded in complex ways to enhance their reception of echolocation signals.
Some bat-human interactions indeed are unfavorable for humans, such as those fruit-eating bats that compete for crops and the blood consuming vampire bats that can spread rabies to humans and domestic animals.
Tenerife provides a recent example with the introduction of the Egyptian fruit bat.
The largest bat is the giant golden-crowned flying fox of the Philippines (Acerodon jubatus), which weighs 1500 grams (3.3 lbs) and has a wingspan of about 1.7 meters (5.5 feet).
To power its flight muscles a typical bat's heart rate increases from 300 to 1000 beats per minute when it flies.
Human activity has sometimes taken away bat roosting sites, for instance when old dead trees are cut down.
Some of the larger bats are a food source, and bat droppings, or guano, are harvested for use as fertilizer.
By using echolocation, microbats can detect flying insects and avoid obstacles to their flight, even in total darkness.
Mother bats are able to find their young in huge colonies of millions of other pups.
Other bats can also carry rabies but do not often spread the disease by biting humans.
Bats fly with a swimming-like motion in which they grab pockets of air with their hand membranes.
Almost all bats are active at night and rest during the day.
Some of the larger microbats eat larger animals such as fish, frogs, mice, small birds, or even other bats.
Many bats can hover, like hummingbirds, in order to pick insects off surfaces or to feed from flowers (Voelker 1986).
One of the largest groups of bats was found in a cave in Arizona and contained 25 to 50 million Mexican free-tailed bats.
Most megabats have diet of fruit, while some drink the nectar of flowers.
Given the ability of fruit-eating bats to spread seeds, there are environmental concerns when a bat is introduced in a new setting.
The largest bat in Canada is the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus), which weighs about 30 grams (0.9 oz).
In China, however, they are considered a sign of good fortune and the word "fu" means both "bat" and "happiness" (Schober 1984).
Megabats play an important role in both pollinating plants and in dispersing their seeds.
Only the mother cares for the young, and there is no continuous partnership with male bats.
Bats often form nursery roosts, with many females giving birth in the same area, be it a cave, a tree hole, or a cavity in a building.
What do bats eat? All bats native to the UK eat insects. Each species has its favourite insects, hunting them in its own special way. ... In winter, when there are fewer insects around for them to feed on, bats go into a deep sleep called hibernation to save energy.
Follow these 5 simple steps to get rid of bats:Determine the species of bat/s. Different species might require a different approach.Locate the entry point in your home.Carefully remove the entire colony of bats using traps or repellents.Completely seal up their entry point.Clean up the pest's droppings.
In general, they have short snouts, large ears like a rodent, and fur-covered torsos. The smallest bats are roughly three inches long with an eight-inch wing span, while the largest may reach seven inches long with a wingspan two feet across.
Bat Wings. Bat wings are made of two thin layers of skin stretched over the bat's arm and fingers. ... Bats use their wings for more than just flying. They can wrap their wings around insects or fruit to hold it while eating.
Other than platypuses and echidnas, mammals don't lay eggs. Bats are flying mammals not birds and give birth to their children like other mammals.