- Bats are ancient animals that have been
around at least 50 million years. Despite this incredible length of
time they still look much like their fossil ancestors.
- Bats are the only mammal that is truly
capable flight. Of the nearly 4000 species of mammals, they make up
25%, that means there are close to 1000 species of bats in the world.
- The scientific name for bats is Chiroptera
which means "hand-wing". Bats are either classified as Megachiroptera
(large hand-wing) or Microchiroptera (small hand-wing).
- Bats are gentle mammals and will typically
bite only if frightened or provoked. Many species are social and some
have even been known to care for each other's young.
- The smallest mammal in the world is the Bumblebee
bat from Thailand, which weighs less than a penny. The largest bats
are the flying foxes, one of which
has a six foot wing span.
- Bats eat a large variety of foods. Different
species of bats consume fish, frogs, insects, fruits, small mammals
and even other bats. Only 3 species of bats are vampire bats, they are
found in Central and South America, these bats feed on the blood of birds
and mammals.
- Many tropical bats are sometimes called
keystone species. Many plants rely on bats to spread their seeds and
to pollinate flowers. Some of these plants include columnar cacti,
bananas, mangoes, cashews, dates, figs, and agave. Agave is used to
produce tequila, the seed production in this plant drops substantially
without bats as pollinators.
- Bat droppings (guano) is an excellent
fertilizer and is mined for that purpose in some countries. Salt peter
used in artillery shells was once made from bat guano.
- Contrary to popular belief bats have very
good eyesight. In addition to vision bats use sound (echolocation) to
navigate in the dark and find food.
- Bats reproduce very slowly, most females have
only one pup per year. Bats that survive to adulthood may live as long
as 30 years. The oldest recorded bat is a Myotis sp, at 41 years old.
- A group of bats is called a colony and bats
live in roosts. Their natural roosts are trees (where they hang from
branches, under loose bark, and in moss) and caves. Due to loss of
natural roosts and habitat many species have learned to live in
man-made structures such as buildings, bridges and culverts.
- Forty-five species of bats
are found in the United States. At least 6 of these are on the
Endangered Species List, many others (nearly 40%) are classified as
threatened, rare, or status undetermined.
There are 18 species in Florida
Fly
By Night, Inc. is recognized by the IRS as a Section 501(c)(3) non-profit /
tax-exempt organization.
Donations
are tax-deductible and all donated funds directly support our bat
conservation efforts. CH12360
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