Wild Animals A-Z

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Bat

Mosquito Catchers: Hollywood may have given bats a bad name, but the zigzag path of a bat against the night sky can mean only one thing, thousands of mosquitoes are about to meet their maker, thus lessening the chance of outbreaks of malaria in other animals including humans.

Fruit and Blood Eaters: Some species of bats also eat fruit and use their tongues to sip nectar. Carnivorous bats put lizards and frogs on the menu, and fish-eating bats have no trouble capturing a fish dinner with their hooked claws. The infamous vampire bat uses its sharp teeth to pierce the skin of animals for the liquid nourishment of blood.

Flapping Wings: Bats are the only mammal that can take to the sky on flapping wings. Wingspans range from over 5 feet in the fox bat to 6 inches in the hog-nosed bat. Many species of bat are found worldwide in tropical and temperate climates.

Seeing by Listening: In its nightly search for food, a bat's secret weapon is echolocation. Focusing on a tasty morsel, a clicking sound is emitted through its mouth or nose. The time it takes for the sound to return to the bat's highly receptive ears reveals the size and location of the object.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Wings Across the World: Aside from the poles and extreme deserts, bats can be found in just about every corner of the world.

Our Cousin the Bat?: Humans may be more closely related to bats than previously thought. Recent studies indicate that Old World fruit bats and flying foxes may be descended from early primates.

Fourth of All Mammals: There are roughly 1,000 species of bat, making up a fourth of all mammal species. Most are small enough to fit inside a human's hand.

How Stuff Works

Could a Fungus Cause the Extinction of Bats?
An unidentified, fuzzy white fungus has been linked to massive bat die-offs in the Northeast. Find out if this could spell the end of all bats at HowStuffWorks.com. HowStuffWorks.com.