Batty Information#4Batty Information#4
What are bats?
Even though bats can fly they are not related to the birds. They actually are related to primates more. Bats are mammals. They are the only true flying mammal on earth. Just like other mammals...bats have fur and bear live babies. They nurse their young and do not lay eggs.
There are nearly 1000 different species of bats on earth. Some of these are endangered of becoming extinct, like the gray bat or the Indiana bat. There is a large variety of different kinds, sizes and colors. They live in many different kinds of habitats and eat many different things.
What do they eat?
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Some bats eat fruit while others eat night flying insects and grasshoppers, and some even eat small animals and minnows. The fruit eating bats (found in tropical climates) are very good for our food crops because they are pollinators and they help spread seeds when they drop the seeds when they eat the fruit. Some of the fruits they pollinate are bananas, mangoes, and guavos. Many trees grow mainly because of the bats. Bats are not blind...and insect eating bats use something called echolocation to help them find the bugs. The echolocation is sounds that the bats make - the sounds are high frequency calls that bounce off of the insects so the bats can quickly find them.
To read more about echolocation...go to Bat Conservation International's echolocation page. You can also hear the sounds of three different bats using echolocation.
Fantastic Fliers!
Bats are fantastic fliers! Their wings are actually webbed hands. The wings have skin membranes that go between each finger. The small thumbs are used for climbing so they are not attached to the membrane.
Bats use their tails to help them with slowing down while flying. Some bats even use their tails as pouches to help them catch insects.
Where do they live?
Bats live in many different places, but rarely are found in belfries (so no, there probably are no "Bats in the Belfry". Many live in caves during the winter- when insects are scarece- to hibernate. Then they migrate out of the caves to live under loose tree bark, under eaves of barns, and other places. Bats even use modern houses as places to roost!
Bats should not be bothered in caves...because if they wake up then they will not be able to go back to hibernating and will starve to death. Some mother bats may be scared off and the babies will starve as well.
It is against the law to bother endangered bats like the Indiana Bat or the Gray Bat. In Britain it is illegal to bother any bats or the places where they roost.
If you find a bat you should not touch it. Instead you should call the forestry service and they will take care of the bat.
What bats are endangered?
The United States Department of Interior has a list of the endangered and threatened species of bats. They are:
Vulmer's fruit bat (flying fox)
Bumblebee bat
Hawaiian hoary bat
Little Mariana fruit bat
Mariana fruit bat
Mexican long-nosed bat
Ozark big-eared bat
Rodrigues fruit bat (flying fox)
Sanborn's long-nosed bat
Singapore roundleaf horseshoe bat
Virginia big-eared bat
**There are many more that are in trouble...such as the Gray bat of the Eastern United States, but it did not appear on this list.
What is the main reason for their endangerment?
The main reason why bats are disappearing in many areas of the world is that their hibernation or roosting places are being bothered or destroyed. When a bat is hibernating in caves in the winter he is using stored energy, very slowly. If it is awakened by cave visitors such as people, then it wakes up and will become active. When that happens it uses its energy faster and then will starve to death because it doesn't have a chance to get more food before springtime comes! People also might destroy the homes of the bats in the summertime too, by cutting down trees that they are roosting in. When bats are bothered they may leave their young too, which will cause the young to die.
What can people do to help bats survive?
Try to avoid disturbing the habitats of bats, especially their hibernating or roosting areas. (It is a federal offense to disturb or endangered bats.) Do not bother known caves where bats are hibernating. Never hurt a bat. If you find a bat and it seems sick leave it alone and contact the local fish and wildlife people or forestry people about it. If bats are in a place where you don't want them to be, call the local wildlife people like the forestry or fish and wildlife people to find out what to do to get them to move without hurting them.
People can make more homes for bats by building a bat house. Bat houses give bats a safe place to live. Then, the bats that live in your yard will eat flying bugs that you don't want in your yard, like mosquitoes. (Many bats favorite food are the M & M bugs...Moths and Mosquitoes!)
We can also tell everyone the real truth about bats. They are very beneficial. They do not hurt people and most of them help us , so we should try to help them survive as much as possible.
**More Batty Information to come!