Bats are the only mammals that can fly. They can be found almost everywhere on the planet, from the tropics to the middle of suburbia. Bats belong to the class Mammalia, shared by humans. They belong to order Chiroptera. Chiroptera is a Greek term which means “hand wing”. This name is a perfect match for the bat due to the peculiar feature in its anatomy. Bats are further divided into two suborders. They include the Mega and micro chiroptera. The mega chiroptera is comprised of large fruit bats, while the micro chiroptera contains their smaller counterparts, microbats.
The bats' order is comprised of 17 families in total. The bats family is further subdivided into 180 genera, which has more than 1000 species. Contrary to the name of the two suborders, some bats, which are under micro chiroptera are larger in size and likewise to the mega chiroptera. Some species of the flying foxes have larger wingspans of up to 5 ft. whereas one, Macroglosus, a mega chiroptera member has a wingspan as small as 10 inches. Calls for emergency bat removal really only come in for Little Brown Bats though because of our location in New York State.
The bats' order is comprised of 17 families in total. The bats family is further subdivided into 180 genera, which has more than 1000 species. Contrary to the name of the two suborders, some bats, which are under micro chiroptera are larger in size and likewise to the mega chiroptera. Some species of the flying foxes have larger wingspans of up to 5 ft. whereas one, Macroglosus, a mega chiroptera member has a wingspan as small as 10 inches. Calls for emergency bat removal really only come in for Little Brown Bats though because of our location in New York State.
Anatomy of Bats
Bats boast a unique anatomy compared to other mammals. The legs of a bat are normally weak. This weakness is all compensated by the strong wings they have. Looking at bats physically, they tend to resemble birds. This look changes the moment you keenly look under their skin because of their unique bone structure.
- Nose - Bats have a very sensitive sense of smell. They use this feature to identify particular foods, to know their young ones and to identify roost mates.
- Eyes - One thing that many people believe is that bats are blind. This is not actually correct. Bats have very tiny eyes. Bats, like flying foxes, boast very fine eye sight. However, bats see things in black and white, so it's impossible to see much at night. As a result, bats rely on echolocation to navigate.
- Ears - Bats have large ears that are often shaped like funnels and face downwards. Their ears are very helpful in echolocation.
- Feet / Legs - Like other mammals, bats have five toes on each of their feet. Their feet are strong to enable them hang in their roost upside down, and scoop fish up for eating. However, their legs are very weak, so walking is a challenge.
- Fur - Different bats have varying color fur from black, gray, white, red and brown, which helps them remain camouflaged. This natural camouflage helps keep them safe from predators. Their fur also helps keep them warm, although only to a degree since it's thin.
- Wings - The wings of a bat are more like webbed hands, functioning similar to that of a human. The hand bone and the finger bone are attached by a very thin stretching membrane. The finger bones are linked to the tail and legs. The type and size of wing differs from specie to specie. The characteristics of the wings determine how each bat flies and how fast it can go. A bat with long and narrow wings is capable of flying faster, can catch prey mid-flight, and fly for longer distances before resting.
Life Cycle of a bat
Like rats, bats mate for life. They fly around to find the optimal nesting place before settling down. Unfortunately, this is one reason so many homeowners require professional bat removal. Female bats normally have one baby per summer season. It takes approximately 30 to 60 days in the gestation period. This also depends on the species. When the little babies are ushered into the world, they barely have fur on their bodies. In addition, their eyes remain closed for up to ten days. When they are born, their sizes are normally a quarter of their mother's size.
The mother carries the baby bat around while hunting for food, until the baby bat can hunt on its own. When the baby bat is around 2 weeks old, it's capable of hanging upside down without any support. When it is a month old, its size is close to that of its mother. That also means that if bats have nested in your attic, they're probably not going anywhere. DIY removal methods don't typically work well for this.
The mother carries the baby bat around while hunting for food, until the baby bat can hunt on its own. When the baby bat is around 2 weeks old, it's capable of hanging upside down without any support. When it is a month old, its size is close to that of its mother. That also means that if bats have nested in your attic, they're probably not going anywhere. DIY removal methods don't typically work well for this.
how bats use Echolocation
Echolocation is a physiological process for locating distant or invisible objects (such as prey) by means of sound waves reflected back to the emitter (such as a bat) by the objects.
The Discovery of Echolocation:
Italian scientist, Spallanzani Lazarro, was the first scientist to come up with a theory that bats were actually able to “see” using their ears in late 1700’s. Later on, in the 1930’s, Donald R. Griffin, who was a scientist a Harvard University, tried another experiment on bats. This experiment was to prove the production of a high pitched sound by bats which echoed. Griffin showed that bats can avoid obstacles using the echoing process and found food that way as well.
The Process of Echolocation:
Bats can produce very high pitch ultrasonic sounds that are outside the range of what humans can hear. The sound waves bounce off objects and then return to the bat. This process helps the bat determine how far the object, prey or other bats could be. This whole process is referred to as echolocation.
Use of Echolocation:
Bats use echolocation to do various things which include: finding their prey, flying, determining how far different objects are, and determining how big or dense an object is.
The Discovery of Echolocation:
Italian scientist, Spallanzani Lazarro, was the first scientist to come up with a theory that bats were actually able to “see” using their ears in late 1700’s. Later on, in the 1930’s, Donald R. Griffin, who was a scientist a Harvard University, tried another experiment on bats. This experiment was to prove the production of a high pitched sound by bats which echoed. Griffin showed that bats can avoid obstacles using the echoing process and found food that way as well.
The Process of Echolocation:
Bats can produce very high pitch ultrasonic sounds that are outside the range of what humans can hear. The sound waves bounce off objects and then return to the bat. This process helps the bat determine how far the object, prey or other bats could be. This whole process is referred to as echolocation.
Use of Echolocation:
Bats use echolocation to do various things which include: finding their prey, flying, determining how far different objects are, and determining how big or dense an object is.