Bats
We're going batty here at Naked Mole Rat Productions! Phil is pleased to tell you all about his flying bretherin,
the only mammal truly capable of flight...the BATS! We hope you enjoy this information and if you encounter
any terms that you don't recognize, please be sure to check out our glossary for their meanings.
Almost 1,000 bat species can be found worldwide. In fact, bats make up a quarter of all mammal species on
earth! That's a lot of hungry mouths flying around up there. All those mouths are looking for different things
to eat, too. 70% of bats are insectivorious (they eat bugs!), but there are also fruit-eating bats,
nectar-eating bats, carnivorous bats that prey on small mammals, birds, lizards and frogs, fish-eating
bats and let's not forget the blood-sucking vampire bats of South America. Eating blood may be kind
of creepy to you, even cause you to cringe a little, but remember: Phils' cousins have to eat, and blood
is a really good source of protein. Bats that eat insects eat all kinds of bugs we find to be pests,
like mosquitos, moths and flies. The wings of a bat are actually anatomically comparable to a human's
hand with webbing stretched between the fingers for flight.
Bats belong to the order chiroptera, and there are two sub-orders of bats: Megachiroptera, meaning
large bat, and Microchiroptera, meaning small bat. The largest bats have a 6 foot wingspan! That's as
broad as most cars are long! Now THAT'S a big bat! The bodies of the smallest bats are no more than one inch long.
Unfortunately, bats have gotten some bad press over the years and many people see them as being
evil or threatening. Most won't hurt you, but you should stay away from bats who are lying on the
ground or appear injured because they may bite. After all, they're vulnerable when they're injured
and they figure you're going to try to eat them. They just want to protect themselves the best way
they know how. The biggest fear most people have when it comes to bats and diseases is rabies.
All mammals are susceptible to this horrible diesease including humans, but only 1/2 of 1% of bats
have the virus. Even so, they carry many other diseases, so alert an adult or call local animal
control to come and help take care of the bat for you. You can find numbers for animal control in your local phone book.
Tent-making bats from South America
Bats can be found just about everywhere in the world except where it's very cold, like at the north
and south pole, and where it's extremely hot, such as the middle of the Sahara desert. Other than
that, though, anywhere is a good home for a bat! Contrary to popular belief not all bats live in caves.
Some live in holes in buildings, others take to the undersides of broad leaves for shelter. You can
help bats in your area by making or buying bat boxes. They're kind of like bird houses, but they're
designed a little differently. Some bats live alone or with just a few others, and some species form
colonies of over a million individuals! Imagine what that must look like when they all take off at once!
Bats use their homes in wintertime for hibernating, though some migrate like birds do, and still others
enter a phase called torpor, which is kind of like a deep sleep but not quite as deep as hibernation.
In torpor, bats can slow down their heart rate and body function so they use less energy.
Mother flying fox with baby
Mother bats give birth in maternity colonies and usually only have one pup, though twins occasionally
do happen. Males don't have anything to do with the raising of pups once mating is done, so mom has
a lot of hard work to do feeding and raising junior by herself. Baby bats are born after a gestation period
of between 40 days to 6 months, with larger bats having the longer gestation time. Believe it or not,
even though some colonies are massive in size and number, bats are the slowest reproducing mammals
on earth. Good thing they can live as long as 30 years, and maybe even longer! This is little comfort
to mom, because when she gives birth her pup can be up to 25% of her body weight! That's like an
average human mom giving birth to a 31 pound baby! Human babies are usually only 6-7 lbs.
Now that's something to scream about!
Bats actually use their screams for other things, though. All the little clicks and screeches you hear
are only some of the sounds bats make. Other sounds are out of our hearing range and are used by
the bat for what's called echolocation. They emit sounds that bounce off objects and return to the bat
and let it know what it is, how far away it is, and whether it's something edible or if it's something in
their way, like a tree or a rock. They can actually tell the difference between a leaf and a moth just from sound!
Unfortunately for bats, people are their biggest enemies. We destroy their homes, set fire to their
caves to kill them, and set traps and nets to protect fruit trees but which end up severely injuring
or killing the bats. The bats are only trying to live, and they are absolutely vital to a properly
balanced eco-system. Education and understanding are keys to helping protect bats, since fear is the
biggest killer of all. Most bats are listed on CITES as Appendix I or II (see our Glossary to find out
about Appendix classifications) 12 species of bat are listed as endangered and one is listed
as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Vampire Bats
At Hallowe'en we're asked more questions about bats than any other time of year, particularly about
vampire bats. We hope some of the following facts help separate fact from fiction when it
comes to these spooky and misunderstood blood slurpers.
Vampire bats live an average of 9 years!
They feed on the blood from horses, cows, pigs, and birds, but rarely feed on humans!
They don't really suck blood - they actually chomp a small cut with their teeth in the
flesh of their victim and lick up the blood that pools in the wound!
Much like mosquitos, their saliva contains an anti-coagulant which slows the clotting of blood!
Heat sensors on their noses help them find the best spot on an animal to feed!
They have strong hind legs and specialized thumbs to help them
take off after feeding, and bats can walk, run and jump!
They can survive more than two nights without feeding!
Well-fed female bats regurgitate blood to share with others in exchange for grooming!
Vampire bats can spread rabies from infected livestock to uninfected livestock through their bites!
They are the only mammal known to survive solely on blood!
They are nocturnal and most active in early night!
They are found in the tropics of Mexico, Central America, and South America!
For additional information
Bat Conservation International
