Bat Facts

Page 2

Another thing that is really special about bats is that there
are about 1000 different species of bats all over the world.
Bats come in many sizes too! The smallest bat known is the
Bumble Bee or Hog-nosed bat of Thailand which is only 3
centimeters long and has a wingspan of only 8 centimeters.
It actually weighs less than a penny!
The largest bat known is the Giant golden-crowned flying fox
of the Philippines which can be 16 inches long and
have a wingspan of 5 feet! Sadly, both of these bats,
among so many others, are endangered of becoming extinct!

The Giant flying fox bat and the Bumble Bee bat
(both drawn by CES Media Club)

Bats are very environmentally friendly. Insectivorous bats
eat many insects that are pests like mosquitoes. In fact,
big brown bat can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in one hour!

This Big Brown bat has caught a moth!
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International

There are many bats in tropical places that eat fruit.
When they do, the swallow the seeds. Later, the seeds
are dispersed in the bats' guano (droppings) to another
place which gives the fruit a chance to grow again. These
bats can pollinate the plants also and so can the long-
nosed bats of southwestern United States. These bats
fly from plant to plant to drink the nectar in the flowers.
When they do this they are spreading the pollen from
plant to plant. The plant species rely on these bats
to keep their own species going.

So, if these bats were to become extinct, then
the plants that depend on these bats would also die out.
It is a delicate balance of mother nature.

There are a few bats that are carnivorous, meat-eating
bats. These bats, like the Asian and African False-
Vampire bats, eat mostly insects, but have been known
to eat fish, eat small birds, and even frogs.

The Vampire bats of feed only on blood. However, they do
not attack humans like the scary movies try to say. Vampire
bats, from Central and South America, feed on cattle
and other types of animals. They do not suck out the blood.
They just make small cuts with their sharp teeth and then
lap up the drops of blood. They have a special ingredient in
their saliva that keeps the blood flow going and this does not
bother the animals at all. Scientists believe this special
anti-coagulant is a better way to treat heart attacks.

A Vampire bat
(c) Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International

Bats should be protected and given a chance to
continue doing the good they do on earth.

We can all help! One way is to build a bat house
to put in your yard. Bat houses are special and
should be made carefully so the bats will use them.

Click here for free PDF of Bat House instructions
These plans are located at Indiana Bat World
You will need Adobe Reader 7.0 in order to read these.

GO TO PAGE 3 FOR MORE BAT FACTS

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Comments? Questions? You can e-mail us at: jgoble@cannelton.k12.in.us