Facts on Bats

She had been wandering around the forest for 3 hours now. She had hoped to see a light somewhere, maybe a tiny cottage, or even a gas station close by. Luck had been evading her for a long time and this did not seem to change. Looking around she spotted a cave, so she went towards it looking for shelter for the night. As she went in she was gripped by fear...she walked in slowly looking behind her in case she was being followed...by what or who, she had no clue! As she went deeper into the cave, she noticed something shiny hanging from the ceiling, a few of those things were flying about, as if ready to devour her..And then she woke up in cold sweat, she had been dreaming!

This is how bats have been perceived since a long time. They have been treated as dirty creatures that need to be feared. This is not so, bats are mammals, just like cats, dogs, humans and other animals.

Here are some bat facts, hopefully this information will change your perception about these mammals forever

• Unlike popular belief, bats are very clean animals, that groom themselves almost all the time.
• Over 1000 species of bats are known. Most of them are so tiny that they would fit in the palm of your hand.
• Most of the bat species give birth to one single pup each year. They are considered the slowest reproducing mammals on earth, based on their size.
• Bats help in pollination and food dispersal.
• Bats usually live for 20-30 years.
• Bats are not blind, instead most of them have very good eyesight.
• The bat droppings found in caves help whole ecosystems of unique organisms. This includes bacteria, which is useful in detoxifying wastes, improving detergents and producing antibiotics and gasohol.
• Unlike humans, bats rest during the day. They can be found in some isolated place, hanging head down, sleeping or even quarreling. As night approaches, they fly about inside the cave and then they fly out of the cave in search of food.
• Different species of bats eat different kinds of food. Some bats consume moths, gnats, beetles and crickets. While others eat pollen, nectar and petals. Some species even eat small frogs, lizards, birds and fish.
• When moths hear the echolocation calls of bats, they are known to protect themselves. They do this by dropping to the ground, trying to escape.
• Bats are able to fly and catch insects because of the structure of their wing membrane, the arrangement of the bones that support it and the positioning of the muscles.
• The footsteps of a beetle can be heard by an African heart – nosed bat from a distance of more than 6 feet.
• Vampire bats are one of the few mammals who put their own life at risk to share food with the unfortunate roost-mates.
• An agent found in the Vampire bat's saliva is in the process of being used to treat stroke victims and human heart patients.
• One Little Brown bat can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in one hour. It is also known as one of the world's longest – lived mammals considering its size. Its life spans almost 40 years.
• Little Brown bats are able to bring down their heart rate to 20 beats per minute and can even stop breathing for 48 minutes at a time, while in hibernation.
• Tiny Woolly bats of West Africa can be found in the big webs of colonial spiders.
• Bats that consume frogs are able to identify poisonous frogs by listening to the mating calls of male frogs.
• To attract their mates during courtship, male Gambian epauletted bats of Africa are blessed with pouches in their shoulders that contain large, showy patches of white fur. The Chapin's free - tailed bats have large tufts of white hair on top of their heads which they use for the same purpose.
• The Honduran white bat is snow white in color and has a yellow nose and ears. It protects its small colonies from jungle rains by cutting large leaves to make "tents."
• You can do your share to stop bats from decreasing by providing bat houses, where they can hibernate, roost, and raise their pups.