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WHEN MOST OTHEr crEaTurES return to
their homes for the night, bats take to the air.
Bats are the only mammals capable
of powered flight. They are night-
time creatures with hairless wings that
enable them to swoop and glide
through the darkness, catching
moths and other airborne
insects. although most bats
are insectivorous (insect
eaters), some feed on fruit,
nectar, pollen, fish, small
mammals, and reptiles. Bats usually give birth to
one or two young each year. The young are left in
a nursery roost, clustered together for warmth,
while the mothers fly off to feed. There are about
1,100 different kinds of bats, including red bats,
brown bats, and dog-faced bats. They make up
more than one-fifth of all mammal species, yet
few people have ever seen one. Today, many
kinds of bats are becoming rare as their roosts
are destroyed and their feeding areas are taken
over for farming
and building.VaMpirE BaT
The vampire bat of South
america bites mammals and birds
to feed on their blood, but it does
not usually attack humans.Bats sleep
upside-down
in a nesting
place
called a
roost.Bats
FiSHiNg BaT
The South american fishing
bat has long legs and sharp
claws for catching fish. it uses
echolocation to detect ripples
on the water’s surface and then
flies low with its feet dangling in
the water. When the bat hooks a
fish, its legs pull the slippery prey
up to its mouth, where sharp teeth
hold the fish securely.EcHOlOcaTiON
Bats find their way in the dark by making squeaks and clicks, which
are so high-pitched that most humans cannot hear them. This is called
echo location. The sounds made by the bat bounce off a nearby object
such as a tree or a moth. The bat can detect the returning echoes with
its large, forward-pointing ears, and in a split second it has worked out
the size, distance, and
direction of the object.At the
top of each
wing is a claw,
which the bat uses to
cling on to rocks as it
clambers around in the
caves where it lives.HOrSESHOE BaT
There are more than 77 different kinds
of horseshoe bats. Their name comes
from the fleshy, curved flaps on their
noses, which help with echolocation.
The greater European horseshoe bat has
FruiT BaT a wingspan of more than 12 in (30 cm).
The fruit bat is the largest bat; some measure
almost 7 ft (2 m) from one wing tip
to the other. it is also called
the flying fox because it has
a foxlike face. Fruit bats
roost in trees or caves
and fly out at dawn and
dusk to feed on fruit,
flowers, and leaves.
Fruit bats are found
in africa, southern
asia, and australia.
in areas where
they live in large
numbers, fruit bats
cause great damage by
raiding fruit plantations.Outgoing sounds from batReturning echoes from objectBat homes in
on its meal.Find out more
animals
animal senses
Flight, animal
Mammals
Whales and dolphinsBats’ wings are supported during
flight by long, thin arm and
finger bones. When resting,
the bat hangs in its roost
by its clawed back feet.US_067_Bats.indd 67 20/01/16 4:33 pm