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Bat Information Weve
all heard the frightening stories about bats: bats get in our hair,
all bats have rabies, bats will drink your blood, just to name a
few. Well, here is a fact sheet to let you know the truth about bats,
so
read on!
The
only flying mammal
Yep, thats right, bats are the only mammals that fly.
Flying squirrels glide.
Because bats can fly they are placed in their own order- Chiroptera. Chiroptera
is a Greek word, in English it means hand-wing. The wing of a bat is almost the
same as your hand, but a bats fingers are elongated and they have skin
that attaches to the fingers to allow them to fly.
How
many bats are there anyway?
There are over 900 different kinds of bats in the world, most
are found in the tropics.
A bat fits into one of two categories, it is either a Megachiroptera (Mega-Bat),
or a Microchiroptera (Micro-Bat).
Mega-Bats are large bats found in tropical rainforests (places like Australia
and Africa). These bats are also called flying foxes because they look like foxes.
They either eat fruit or drink nectar from flowers, and sometimes look for food
during the day instead of at night.
Micro-Bats are small bats found all over the world, including here in
the U.S. They eat mostly insects, although some eat fruit. These bats use echolocation,
or radar, to find their food.
How
big is big?
The biggest bat in the world is, of course, a Mega Bat. Its common
name is the gigantic flying fox, found in Asia. It weighs over 2 pounds
and has a wingspan of about 6 feet (thats wider than we are tall!).
This bat eats only fruit, and eats lots!
How
small is small?
The smallest bat is the hog-nosed bat (or the bumblebee bat). It
is found in Thailand and weighs about 2 grams (thats how much a
dime weighs). It has a 6 inch wingspan.
Bats
eat what?
Most bats in the United states eat insects. As a matter of
fact, one little brown bat can eat more than 600 mosquitoes in a single
hour. Bats eat half their body weight a night (that would be like you
or me eating 30 pizzas!).
In other parts of the world bats eat strange things indeed. Some bats
only eat fish, some bats eat other bats, some bats eat spiders.
Have
you heard the latest?
You have no doubt heard many myths about bats, but heres the
truth.
Bats are not blind. Some bats actually have good eyesight.
Bats do not make nests in your hair. Bats roost, they do not build nests.
Bats will not attack people, they are very small and gentle animals. Remember,
we are very large to a bat and they are afraid of us.
All bats do not have rabies. However, like any other mammal bats can get
rabies. Always make sure not to pick up or try to play with any wild animal.
They are meant to be wild and left alone.
You
think you want to help bats
Wow! Thats great, anyone that will help bats deserves a medal,
there are still so many people out there that dislike bats and even want
to hurt them.
There are many ways we can help bat populations. First, tell people about
bats. Let them know not to be afraid, and not to hurt them. Teach people all
you know about bats.
We can help save bat habitat, or places where bats live. Bats like to
live in marsh lands were there are many dead trees for them to roost in. Try
to preserve our marshes by joining conservation organizations like the Nature
Conservancy, the Audubon Society, or the Organization for Bat Conservation.
A bat house in your backyard gives bats a place to live. The new OBC houses
simulate the loose and peeling bark of dead trees. Its also a lot of fun
to watch your bats come out to feed every night. Remember one bat
eats over 600 mosquitoes in an hour, so youll have a natural pest control
company in your backyard. Contact OBC for information on this new bat house design.
Interested
in learning more?
The Organization for Bat Conservation is dedicated to teaching
people about bats and conserving bat populations and habitat. Some bat
education books that you may wish to read include Understanding Bats
by Kim Williams and Rob Mies, Stellaluna, by Janell Cannon, Americas
Neighborhood Bats, by Merlin Tuttle, and Amazing Bats, by the Eyewitness
Juniors collection. We are also one of the only organizations that make
bat houses designed from new research.
If you are interested
in seeing one of our educational programs or would like to become a
member, feel free to contact us at the following address. Proceeds
and contributions go toward bat education, conservation and ecological
research. |