Fact file on bats

Facts about Bats talk about the mammal animals which can fly. The largest known bat colony in the world is located in the Bracken Bat Cave in Texas. Inside, the cave, you find around 20 million bats. When the bats leave the cave, it looks like a huge storm on the sky.. Here are other interesting facts about bats for you:. Mexican free-tailed bats are very interesting. Some people call them are the avid flyer. In one night, the bar can fly around kilometer or miles.

It can reach the speed at 97 kph or 60 mph. The height can be reached at 3, meter or 10, feet. Insect is one of the favorite foods of bat. In one year, a small colony of bats eats around million insects.

In an hour, a single bat can eat bugs. The farmers will love to see the presence of big brown bats. In one summer, around big brown bats eat a lot of cucumber beetles. This action can save the cucumber farmers from bad harvest. The record of the largest bat in the world is taken by the rare fruit bat.

It is called golden crowned flying fox. This animal is in the bridge of extinction because of hunting. The wingspan can reach 1. Find out facts about Bald Eagles here. It is more than 1, species of bats in the world. The big brown bats or Eptiesicus fuscus are the most common one. The endangered Indiana bat, which weighs about three pennies, consumes up to half its bulk every evening.

Bats are the only flying mammal. While the flying squirrel can only glide for short distances, bats are true fliers. This flexible skin membrane that extends between each long finger bone and many movable joints make bats agile fliers.

California leaf-nosed bats exit a cave at Joshua Tree National Park. You can easily distinguish these bats by their leaf-like noses and large ears.

How fast a bat flies depends on the species, but they can reach speeds over miles per hour according to new research.

Over 15 million bats live there, making it the largest known bat colony and largest concentration of mammals on Earth. Conservation efforts are helping bat species recover. At least 12 types of U. These amazing animals face a multitude of threats including habitat loss and disease, but we're working to change that. A unique international conservation partnership in the southwestern U.

In , there were thought to be fewer than 1, bats at the 14 known roosts range wide. There are now an estimated , bats at 75 roosts! The ancestors of the endangered Hawaiian Hoary Bat traveled over 3, kilometers from the Pacific Coast almost 10, years ago to become Hawaii's state land mammal. The longest-living bat is 41 years old. Although most bats live less than 20 years in the wild, scientists have documented six species that life more than 30 years.

In , a tiny bat from Siberia set the world record at 41 years. The Townsend's big-eared bat's average lifespan is 16 years. Like cats, bats clean themselves. Far from being dirty, bats spend a lot of time grooming themselves. Some, like the Colonial bat, even groom each other. Besides having sleek fur, cleaning also helps control parasites. The spotted bat gets its name from its distinct appearance of black and white spotted fur. Another interesting fact about the spotted bat — it has the largest ears of any North American species.

Baby bats are called pups, and a group of bats is a colony. Like other mammals, mother bats feed their pups breastmilk , not insects. Most bats give birth to a single pup! There is at least one species that commonly has twins and that is the eastern red bat.

Momma bats form nursery colonies in spring in caves, dead trees and rock crevices. Bats benefit from maintaining a close-knit roosting group because they increase reproductive success, and it is important for rearing pups.

Bats are inspiring medical marvels. About 80 medicines come from plants that rely on bats for their survival. While bats are not blind, studying how bats use echolocation has helped scientists develop navigational aids for the blind.

Research on bats has also led to advances in vaccines. The Mexican long-tongued bat is a vital pollinator in desert systems. They have a long, bristle-like tongue, allowing them to sip nectar from agave and cacti.