Go Batty Over Bats!

     One thing most people might not believe is that this extraordinary animal with wings but no feathers, eyes that don't see and razor sharp teeth can be related in any way to--us!  Yes, the bat is a mammal.  It has hair, it gives birth to live young, and it nurses it's young.  All of these things and more are what makes us all mammals.  Yes we are alike in that way, but that is where the comparisons end.  Bats are some of the most interesting creatures on the planet today.  They can do things that most animals only dream of....well, they may not actually dream anything, but they can do some pretty neat stuff!

First off, most people haven't had an up close look at bats, so a description is probably needed. There are many different kinds of bats with a wide variety of looks, tastes and habits. Some have large ears and tiny eyes with a pushed in face. Others have larger eyes and snouts similar to a fox or a small coyote. Some bats are tiny, they are called microbats. They can be as small as 25mm in length. Some bats are large, such as the giant Flying Fox. They can grow to 340mm with a wingspan of almost 5 feet! That's a big bat! The one thing these bats all have in common is their ability to fly. Some people think that bats fly like most birds, and are indeed just a hairy bird. Not true! Bats do not flap their entire wing when the fly. They use a method of flapping that only causes the digits of their wings,like long fingers, to flap up and down while their forelimb remains still. The fact that bats fly does not make them a bird. They are actually the worlds only flying mammal. Some mammals do use skin flaps to glide but only bats can perform a sustained flight.  And they do that with great precision.

Bats perform the most precision feats of flying, and they do most of it in complete darkness. Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind.  Most do have underdeveloped sight but they easily make up for it using a keen sense of hearing.  These tiny technicians are top notch echolocators.  Echolocators use sound bounced off of other objects and back into their super-sensitive ears to figure out where they are in any given space.  It also helps them to hunt there prey.  You see, about 70% of all bats are insectivores, meaning they eat insects to survive.  Most of the time they eat their meals on the fly.  They use echolocation to spot these insects and scoop them up to their mouths with their rear skin flap or just grab them out of the air.  It is an amazing task.  Many bats eat mosquitoes and are very helpful to any community.  Bats can eat up to 2000 mosquitoes in a night, up to 1/3 of it's body weight.  This one thing that bats do for our communities can keep diseases at bay, save us money from spraying and protect the environment from those chemicals.

    Many bats are being driven out of their communities by habitat destruction.  Bats require a dry temperature controlled area to sleep during the day.  Some bats have been able to adjust to growth of mankind by living under bridges and other structures that fit their needs.  Pest control companies are constantly being called to drive bats out of attics because they cannot find a place to go.  The bats that eat insects have plenty of food available but hey need a place to live.  Most fruit bats are being driven out of the rain forests by deforestation and growth of human populations.  What can be done to save the bat?

One thing we can all do for bats is to install a bat house in your yard. They look like a bird house and can be attached to a high tree or a tall poll. The bats will stay in there all day and sleep. They are not noisy and the noises they due make flying at night are not easily heard by humans. Most people that have a bat house don't even know there are bats in there. Bats can be very cute at times but I do not recommend touching them. Bats can carry rabies but don't usually give them to people or pets. But touching a sick bat may require you get your shots since rabies is incurable and deadly if not treated immediately. So keep your distance but as the sun goes down and you see those bats flitting about scooping up their dinner you will see how wonderous they can be.