10 Facts About Bats
Bats are an amazing group of mammals that have some unique abilities. Read on to learn 10 interesting facts about bats that you may not have known.
Bats are found in nearly all parts of the world. They are the only mammal that can fly due to the webbed wings. They are also the only mammals that sleep while hanging upside down. Bats do not live in polar regions or in extreme deserts. Bats are classified as mammals, in the order chiroptera, which contains approximately 1000 species. Luckily, if we're discussing removing bats from your attic, there are only a few kinds that you have to worry about.
Micro bats feed on flesh and insects, and are therefore identified as both carnivorous and insectivorous. They have little eyes and hunt for their prey by means of echolocation. Mega bats have quite big eyes, giving them slightly better vision than micro bats. Colonial bats congregate in groups while solitary bats live alone.
Solitary bats are known to roost in tree branches, although sometimes they can be found in dark areas on the outside of various building structures. If the area provides shelter and consistent darkness, it's a perfect spot. Examples of these bats include: the red bat, keen bat, silver haired bat and hoary bat. Some examples of colonial bats include: little brown bat, big brown bat, Mexican free tailed bat, pallid bat, evening bat and Yuma myotis bat.
Bats produce approximately 10-50 calls every second when flying in search for their food. When they detect insects, that rate increases drastically, allowing them to "see" via echolocation. This higher ping rate is called the feeding buzz.
Bats have a lifespan of up to 20 years. Despite sleeping during the day, bats also do socialize and groom. In one night, a single bat can consume more than a thousand mosquitoes. Even though they do provide some benefits to the local environment, our bat exterminators are constantly getting calls about the problems bats cause.
A larger percentage of bats are insectivorous and carnivorous. The eat small bugs and insects for their food. This percentage stands at 70%. On the other hand, 30% of bats feed on different types of fruits.
A bat’s dung is a treasure to farmers, as they collect it and use it as a fertilizer. Amazingly, the dung was also useful to fighters during the civil war. It was used for making gun powder.
Bats help significantly with pollination. They distribute fruit seeds from one flower to another. Bats cross pollinate fruits when they move place to place by dropping seeds. Close to 500 different types of tropical plants are successfully pollinated by bats every year.
A bat's wings contain Merkel cells that are highly sensitive to touch. When the flow of air brushes again the hair on a bat's wing, the cells react to the motion. This is the main reason bats are able to fly so acrobatically.
The largest bat in the world is the Giant golden crowned flying fox, also known as the golden-capped fruit bat. It weighs up to three pounds and can measure up to 5 feet long. The smallest species of bat in existence is the Kitti’s Hog-Nosed bat. It weighs less than 1 ounce and is only 1.5 inches long.
You can read more about bats here.
Bats are found in nearly all parts of the world. They are the only mammal that can fly due to the webbed wings. They are also the only mammals that sleep while hanging upside down. Bats do not live in polar regions or in extreme deserts. Bats are classified as mammals, in the order chiroptera, which contains approximately 1000 species. Luckily, if we're discussing removing bats from your attic, there are only a few kinds that you have to worry about.
Micro bats feed on flesh and insects, and are therefore identified as both carnivorous and insectivorous. They have little eyes and hunt for their prey by means of echolocation. Mega bats have quite big eyes, giving them slightly better vision than micro bats. Colonial bats congregate in groups while solitary bats live alone.
Solitary bats are known to roost in tree branches, although sometimes they can be found in dark areas on the outside of various building structures. If the area provides shelter and consistent darkness, it's a perfect spot. Examples of these bats include: the red bat, keen bat, silver haired bat and hoary bat. Some examples of colonial bats include: little brown bat, big brown bat, Mexican free tailed bat, pallid bat, evening bat and Yuma myotis bat.
Bats produce approximately 10-50 calls every second when flying in search for their food. When they detect insects, that rate increases drastically, allowing them to "see" via echolocation. This higher ping rate is called the feeding buzz.
Bats have a lifespan of up to 20 years. Despite sleeping during the day, bats also do socialize and groom. In one night, a single bat can consume more than a thousand mosquitoes. Even though they do provide some benefits to the local environment, our bat exterminators are constantly getting calls about the problems bats cause.
A larger percentage of bats are insectivorous and carnivorous. The eat small bugs and insects for their food. This percentage stands at 70%. On the other hand, 30% of bats feed on different types of fruits.
A bat’s dung is a treasure to farmers, as they collect it and use it as a fertilizer. Amazingly, the dung was also useful to fighters during the civil war. It was used for making gun powder.
Bats help significantly with pollination. They distribute fruit seeds from one flower to another. Bats cross pollinate fruits when they move place to place by dropping seeds. Close to 500 different types of tropical plants are successfully pollinated by bats every year.
A bat's wings contain Merkel cells that are highly sensitive to touch. When the flow of air brushes again the hair on a bat's wing, the cells react to the motion. This is the main reason bats are able to fly so acrobatically.
The largest bat in the world is the Giant golden crowned flying fox, also known as the golden-capped fruit bat. It weighs up to three pounds and can measure up to 5 feet long. The smallest species of bat in existence is the Kitti’s Hog-Nosed bat. It weighs less than 1 ounce and is only 1.5 inches long.
You can read more about bats here.