Dynamic Bats

Bats look like a small brown mouse. They have a fox like muzzle large ears and a neck, which is short and well covered with fur. They are flying mammals. They can fly but they are not birds. They do not have feathers on their wings like birds Instead, they have double layers of skin stretched over their bones

There are nearly a thousand different kinds of bats which vary in size. The largest bat has been recorded as having a wing span of over 150 cm. But most bats are small creatures with rather large wings. A vampire bat's body is only about 9 cm long with a wing span of up to 18 cm. Most bats are nocturnal creatures, which means that they are active only at night. They sleep during the day and come out at night in search of food

Bats hang upside down by their fret when they rest or sleep. They often live in caves where there may be thousands of them crowded together on the walls and ceiling. Smaller bat colonies of up to twelve bats may live together inside a hollow cave. They sleep close together for warmth

Most bats live on insects and help pest control. Some of them eat fruit and flowers also. Vampire bats feed on blood. They use their sharp teeth and tube-like tongue to suck animals blood. These bats are dangerous to human beings and domestic animals.

Bats have sensitive ears, which help them to locate their prey as well as obstacles. The high-pitched squeaks made by bats produce echoes. They catch these echoes and are able to make a sound picture of what is around them. They do not need to use their eyes much. As blind as a bat is a common usage, but it is not true to say that bats are totally blind

Bats are mammals that can fly, using wings instead of arms or hands. They are the only mammals that have evolved to fly, and are classified in their own order of mammals called Chiroptera. Bats have a bone structure similar to the human hand, with flaps of skin between the bones. They are also lightweight, which makes it easier for them to fly.

Here are some other interesting facts about bats:

• Lifespan: Bats can live for more than 30 years.
• Immune systems: Bats have incredible immune systems.
• Sonar: Bats can see at night using high frequency sounds, which is called sonar.
• Nocturnal: Most bats are nocturnal, flying and foraging for food at night. They use the darkness of night as protection from predators.
• Habitat: Caves provide the kind of protected shelter in which bats can thrive.
• Hibernation: Not all bats hibernate. Some bat species like the spotted bat survive by migrating in search of food to warmer areas when it gets chilly.
• Diet: Pallid bats appear to be immune to scorpion stings, even from the most venomous scorpion in North America, the Arizona bark scorpion. 

Bats play an essential role in pest control, pollinating plants and dispersing seeds. Recent studies estimate that bats eat enough pests to save more than $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the United States corn industry alone.

Bats are vital to the health of global ecosystems and are often considered "keystone species". They play a critical role in ecosystems as:

• Pest control
• Bats eat insects, which can save billions of dollars per year in the US agriculture industry.
• Pollination
• Bats have co-evolved with many flowering plants, and are especially important pollinators in tropical and desert regions. Many economically important crops, such as bananas, mangoes, and agave, rely on bats for pollination.
• Seed dispersal
• Fruit-eating bats help maintain plants and forests by distributing seeds.
• Bioindicators
• Bats' position at high trophic levels, widespread distribution, and evolutionary stability make them bioindicators of ecosystem health.

Other facts about bats include:

• There are over 1,400 species of bats worldwide.
• Bats are the only flying mammal.
• Bats are more closely related to primates than rodents.
• Not all bats hibernate.
• Disease is one of the biggest threats to bats. 
• The scientific name for bats is Chiroptera, which is Greek for “hand wing”
• Bats are nocturnal, active during the night, dusk, or dawn
• Most bats eat upside down
• Many bat species also sleep, mate, and even give birth while upside down
• Most use echolocation to catch prey and to find their way about
• Without bats, say goodbye to bananas, avocados and mangoes
• Night insects have the most to fear from bats
• Pallid bats eat scorpions and appear to be immune to scorpion stings