9 Curiosities About Bats

Inhabitants of the night, these mammals are protagonists of myths and legends that, unfortunately, do not leave them in a very good place. Therefore, here you can learn curiosities about bats that will make you fall in love with them.

There are more than 1,300 species of bats distributed in 6 continents. These animals are so numerous that they represent a fifth of the population of mammals on Earth, and it is not surprising, because their function for the ecosystem is irreplaceable.

Around bats orbit a large number of false beliefs that increase their bad reputation. In this article you will see its true nature revealed through incredible facts and curiosities. Do not miss it.

Curiosities about bats

Bats are divided into 2 types based on their size: megabats ( Pteropodidae ) and microbats ( Microchiroptera ). Other experts divide them based on their diet, thus separating nectarivores, insectivores, carnivores, frugivores, and hematophages.

Each species has a series of its own characteristics according to its habitat and its needs. Therefore, what applies to some bats does not apply to others. Here are some examples of this in the form of trivia.

1. It is the only mammal that can fly

The bat is the only mammal that flies. Others, like flying squirrels, simply glide thanks to the webbing between their legs. Chiropterans have adapted their forelimbs to be able to rise by flapping their wings, even though they have membranes instead of feathers.

2. Echolocation

One of the curiosities about bats that you should know is that they  are capable of obtaining a spatial representation of their environment through the echoes of the ultrasounds they emit. This is called echolocation and it is found in other animals as well, such as dolphins and whales.

3. They can eat up to 1200 mosquitoes per hour

Thanks to insectivorous bats there are no insect pests. They are normally small and have a very fast metabolism, so they have to consume the equivalent of their weight in insects every night.

4. Some species hibernate

In winter, when food is scarce in some regions, bats rest in caves for months. During this hibernation, your heart rate and metabolism slow to a minimum to survive without expending much energy.

A striking example is Murina ussuriensis,  a Japanese bat that hibernates in small burrows made under mounds of snow. Keeping its body temperature only slightly higher than its frozen environment, it takes advantage of the insulation that frozen water provides, as if it were an igloo.

5. Not everyone sucks blood

There is a popular belief that all bats feed on blood. Actually, the only ones who eat a blood-sucking diet are 3 : the common vampire  (Desmodus rotundus ), the hairy-legged vampire ( Diphylla ecaudata ) and the white-winged vampire ( Diaemus youngi ).

6. The biggest bat

Although in cities and human populations it is common to see small bats hovering in the clouds of insects, some species are truly gigantic.

The largest is the Philippine diadem bat ( Acerodon jubatus ), with a wingspan of five feet. This flying fox feeds exclusively on fruit and is in danger of extinction due to intensive hunting.

7. And the smallest

At the other extreme you can find the tiniest bat of all, Kitti’s pig-nosed bat or blowfly bat ( Craseonycteridae thonglongyai ). This mammal barely adds 3 centimeters of wingspan and 2 grams of weight.

8. They are not blind

This is another widespread myth. Being nocturnal animals, their eyes were thought to have atrophied throughout their evolution, but nothing further. Although they are mainly oriented by echolocation, some of them need their sight to find their food, especially those that eat fruit.