Bats…
Bats are the only mammals that can fly, and the largest bats ever found have a wingspan of 6 feet (1.8 meters)! There are more than one thousand bats species around the world, sheltering in caves, crevices, buildings — basically any dark abode they can find. Some bat species live as solitary animals, while others live in groups with as many as a million members.
These nocturnal creatures can consume insects, fruit, fish and even blood, though most species feed on insects, and are therefore very useful pest controllers. For example, a single brown bat can consume up to a thousand mosquitoes in 1 hour!
Bats have an incredible sense of hearing. They travel by echolocation — they emit sound waves, which bounce off the objects around them and echo back. This echo helps them determine their surroundings, the size and distance of objects and their own speed, all within a mere second.
Bats cannot support themselves when they are upright, due to the lightweight bones of their legs. Therefore they have to roost upside down. Females even give birth hanging upside down, and must be ready to catch the babies with her wings as they fall. Newborn bats come out hairless and with their eyes closed. All baby bats drink their mother’s milk until they are 2 to 6 months old.
The YouTube video playlist below contains videos about Bats. Details of the videos featured are underneath.
See video footage of Vampire Bats here
The Playlist:
- All About Bats by Paul Treadwell
- Bat Caves of Texas – Texas Parks and Wildlife [Official] by Texas Parks and Wildlife
- Meet the World’s Biggest Bat by National Geographic
- Freaking cute orphan baby bat has a play after her feed by Megabattie
- Orphaned baby bats play on the balcony by Megabattie
- Cute baby flying-fox has a bath by Megabattie
- BAT SENSE – by Nature Video
- Season of the Bat by wpsu
- Fernando – mega bat (flying fox) Australian bats Rescued – 14/01/2012 by James Chadwick
- We Need Bats & Bats Need Us by Bat Conservation International
