There are millions of different living beings on the planet. Due to the peculiarities of appearance and character, the bat occupies a special niche. The name "bat" appeared at the beginning of the 17th century from a German translation of the book.

Many people don't know if a bat is a bird or an animal. Bats have wings and can fly, but bats are members of the animal world. Such a mouse is the only animal on the planet that moves through the air with the help of wings. Central America became their home. These animals do not tolerate cold well, therefore they prefer the mild climate of Asia or the territory of Primorsky Krai. The animal belongs to the order of placental mammals, the species is bats. Let's see what a bat looks like.

They are different from each other appearance and sizes. The common body size is from 3 to 10 cm, but there are also special individuals - false vampires. Their size is 40-50 cm, and their weight is up to 200 grams. The coat of a bat is thick and soft. It is usually grey, black or brown in color. There are animals with a yellowish or orange color. Such a bright fur color is inherent in the Mexican fish-eating mouse.

At the Honduran bat white fur and the nose and ears are yellow. There is no fur on the wings. The muzzle resembles a pig snout with elements of a mouse appearance. There are individuals on whose body a fur coat is completely absent. There are such representatives in the Philippines and Southeast Asia.

At bats different internal structure skull and teeth. The long-tongued leaf-bearer has long tongue with which he collects nectar. The elongated shape of the head is needed to fit the tongue.

In bats, heterodont dental system, so they have fangs, incisors, molars and molars. Stronger and longer teeth are usually found in animals that feed on thick-shelled insects.

The number of teeth different types bats is different. For example, vampires have only 20 of them, while small mice can have up to 38. Vampires have sharp fangs to make bites that bleed. In fruit-eating bats, the teeth are similar to the main part of the flower involved in the formation of the fruit.

Most representatives have a horn on their nose, resembling a rhinoceros nose, and large ears, similar to those of a hare, are located on their heads. The auditory organ improves the echo sounding of a mammal. The bat skeleton has several features. Forelimbs unusual shape, one finger of which has a curved shape with a sharp end. "Hands" start from the hind limbs, reach the forearm and pass into elongated fingers. It turns out a kind of frame, constricted by a dense skin membrane.

The membrane serves as a wing to its mistress. In cold times, the mouse wraps itself in its membrane, like a cape. The bats superior in mobility and aerodynamics to birds and insects. The flight speed of bats is from 10 to 50 km/h. Among the entire species of mice, the Brazilian folded lip reaches the highest speed up to 160 km / h. The membrane is greatly stretched, about 4 times, without being damaged. During the flight, the bat makes synchronous movements with its wings, strongly presses them to itself, thereby improving aerodynamics.

These mammals have very flexible wings, which allows them to turn 180 degrees without making a turn. The bat can hover in the air like an insect.

It is known that bats cannot see well, but they have excellent hearing. Many breeds of mice have a tragus on their ears, which improves and enhances the perception of sounds. False horseshoe bats can pick up the rustle of insects under the grass or among the foliage. Images for them appear in black and white. Echolocation helps them navigate in the dark. Ultrasonic impulses save from collisions with possible obstacles. However, bats are not completely blind, some see well and can catch prey with their eyes.

A well-developed olfactory sense helps to find their cubs after a night hunt, identify a stranger in a colony, or find sources of food.

Bat lifestyle

Mice prefer to live in large settlements, sometimes reaching more than a thousand individuals. True, there are animals that prefer to live alone. The Brazilian fold-lip colony has over 20 million individuals.

Bats hunt alone. They do not create families, but together only at the time of mating.

They sleep with their heads down and wrap themselves in their webbed wings. The bat is a nocturnal or crepuscular animal. Bats climb rocks well. During the flight, bats always emit a piercing squeak, the characteristics of which are comparable to the sound of an aircraft jet engine. The man does not hear him. Such ultrasonic waves are unbearable for human perception. Winter time the mammal spends in hibernation, and sometimes they fly away to warmer climes. Hibernation lasts up to 8 months.

Where and how long do bats live

The mammal inhabited almost the entire planet, with the exception of tundra and ice-covered lands. The animal easily adapts to natural conditions, therefore it can live almost anywhere.

Bats love places where there is no daylight. Mammals live in caves, basements, abandoned places, in hollows of trees. There are amazing individuals wrapped in banana leaves. Other representatives may live under bird nests, in bamboo stalks, or even in cobwebs.

They live an average of 5 years, but there are also centenarians whose age reaches 20 years. The record age among bats is 33 years.

At home, mice can live less than expected due to an inactive lifestyle.

How they breed

Individuals living in warm climatic zones can breed twice a year.

In temperate latitudes, animals give birth to cubs once a year. Fertilization usually occurs in autumn time years before hibernation. Spermatozoa do not immediately fertilize the egg, they can be on the reservation until the female wakes up. Some males make special sounds that attract a female. It is impossible to describe exactly how bats groom and mate due to the secretive lifestyle of bats.

After awakening, the gestation period begins, which lasts depending on the temperature and the species. In a cold climate, the baby develops longer. Females give birth to one cub, rarely two or three. During childbirth, the female turns her head up. The birth of the cub takes place feet first, then it enters the tail bag, where it spends a week. Babies are hidden in a shelter and fed with milk.

This whole process gave the answer - the bat is a mammal or not. As a result, the animal was assigned to the appropriate class.

In the first week after birth, the female takes the cub with her to hunt, then, when it becomes heavy, she leaves it in the shelter. Before the age of one month, the babies are very weak and cannot hunt. Then they begin to catch prey near their shelter. Possessing a unique sense of smell, the female after the hunt can easily find the cub. Even being at a distance of several kilometers, the female can smell the baby.

Enemies of bats

Mammals don't have many natural enemies. Probably due to the nocturnal lifestyle, because they rarely intersect with anyone.

They hide their shelters well or live in large colonies, so many animals and birds are simply afraid of them.

Vespers flying out at twilight become the prey of the day birds of prey: Peregrine Falcons, Hawks or Hobbies. Owls and owls love to hunt bats, but they are hard to catch. Bats are rescued by developed echolocation.

In the cave massifs of Hungary, tits attack the animal. They fly in at the moment of sleep and take the sleeping animal to their nest. True, tits are afraid large groups mammal due to mortal danger.

Bats sleeping on tree branches are often prey for tree snakes. The bat lacks adaptability to daytime life, so echolocation does not even save.

The mammal often falls into the clutches of spiders. In the dark, they do not see the web, and echolocation does not help. Some large spiders do not specifically kill the insect, luring more big booty, in the face of a bat.

Weasels, ferrets and martens are also enemies for bats. They sneak up during sleep and kill the animal.

Man is afraid of bats, so the destruction of entire colonies of these animals occurs. It is important that this mammal benefits by killing insects. After all, some are carriers of dangerous diseases.

In Asian countries, bat meat is considered a delicacy. Many bats are listed in the Red Book and are heavily protected.

What are the benefits of bats

Bats are very useful animals. They feed mainly on insects, which sometimes carry fatal diseases.

Bats save crops from pests. Flying from one flower to another, they help in the process of pollination.

Animal droppings are considered good fertilizer. It is known that in the caves you can find layers of excrement, reaching a meter.

Bat saliva is used for medicinal purposes.

domestic bat

When you want something exotic, people get a bat. These animals can get used to home conditions, but will feel uncomfortable. If you decide to have this animal, it is important to provide suitable conditions.

The bat loves the nocturnal lifestyle. During the day, a small animal prefers to sleep.

pet house

A large space is important for a bat, so you need to take care of a large aviary. It is decorated with branches so that the animal has somewhere to hide in the daytime. Temperature is important for bats environment. The norm is 30 degrees.

A birdcage may not be suitable, as a bat can easily get between the twigs.

What to feed a bat at home

IN natural conditions Bats love to catch insects. Feeding should be done in the evening, once every 24 hours. At home, it is not possible to eat on their own, so it is necessary to provide the mammal with a correct and complete diet.

  • flour worms;
  • milk formulas for children up to a month;
  • insect pupae;
  • raw egg yolk;
  • adult cockroaches;

For nutrition, we prepare the mixture, add honey, yolk and vitamin E. We take the animal in our hands and offer a treat through a pipette.

Insects for the animal are stored in a jar.

The bat should not be overfed, because home conditions are characterized by reduced activity, which is dangerous for the health of the animal.

Each animal is unique. Bats are no exception. They have an unusual appearance and are useful to humans.

A bat with a rodent has only an external resemblance. The same small, nimble, with a similar muzzle. Due to the structural features of the forelimbs, the animal is classified as a chiroptera.

This is interesting. The bat is the only mammal that can fly like a bird. The same flying squirrel only plans. The heroine of the story completely controls the flight, continuing it required time and turning in the right direction.

Bat wings are modified, elongated fingers connected by a membrane. Spreading them, the animal flies. There are many types of skilled nocturnal predators in the world. Moreover, not only mice, but also flying dogs, foxes, bats, earflaps, leaf bats, horseshoe bats and even vampires. By the way, from the name you can understand what bats eat. For example, leaf-bearers are vegetarians, preferring mostly nuts. Vampires (there are only three of them) - the fresh blood of large animals and occasionally humans. The overwhelming majority are true predators.

As is clear from the description, a bat is not a rodent. The way of eating is different, as well as the way of life, which made it possible to attribute sweet creature to a separate group. Let's get to know the flying predator closer.

Bat life

The predominant number of bats prefer to eat insects, but there are others. Leaf-nosed vegans love nuts, giant vespers specialize in lizards and frogs, and some won't mind fish. Let's deal with those who drink blood. Are there really little black vampires in nature, or are they fairy tales?

This is interesting. In America, there are only three types of bats that eat blood and flesh. But to say that they suck is wrong. Rather, they bite and lick the protruding liquid, without giving up pieces of meat. Since bats are secretive animals that live in dark places and are active at night, people have long associated them with something evil, otherworldly. Hence the appearance of legends about vampires - the dead, who easily turn into animals. In fact, belief only remotely reflects reality.

Bats appear in the house by chance, preferring to live far from humans. Sometimes they can be found in attics, but only if the room is uninhabited. Preferred locations are abandoned buildings, hollow trees, cave formations, and similar hiding places. During the day, the animals sleep, catching their paws on a horizontal surface and hanging upside down, and at night they go out to hunt. The flight of a bat is smooth, almost inaudible and imperceptible to insects. Why?

The reason for this is the ability of the animal to echolocation. Bats navigate in flight not by sight or even by smell. They are able to pick up the waves emanating from an object that stands in the way. To do this, the animal needs to constantly scream so that the echo is reflected from the barrier. Fortunately, a person does not hear the emitted ultrasounds, otherwise the flight of a bat would turn into unbearable torture for our ears. This squeak is so piercing and painful.

Here are a few more amazing facts about the heroes of today's story:


Now you know what bats eat, how they live, navigate in flight with the help of echolocation and are considered quite useful human helpers. That is why you should not be afraid of interesting predators at all, and even more so to drive them away from the site.

And yet, what to do if a bat flew into an apartment? After all, frightened, she can accidentally bite a person, and this is dangerous. Let's find out how to drive away a lost animal.

Chasing away an uninvited guest

If a bat flew into the house, don't panic. Believe me, this happened quite by accident, and the animal is scared no less than you. The easiest thing is to catch. Moreover, you will have to act quickly, because the guest knows how to navigate well in space even in an unfamiliar place. Experts recommend using some kind of dense fabric. The animal is carefully knocked down and wrapped in a cloth, and then released into the street. Open the window - perhaps the guest will fly out on his own, without your help. Do not under any circumstances catch with bare hands and do not twitch - the bat can be frightened and bite. If the trouble still happened, you will definitely have to go to the doctor.

Bats do not live in houses, preferring to hide from humans, so you can be happy with such a visit: a rather rare occurrence. If a bat appeared in the apartment, you cannot kill it. There is a sign among the people that in this case you will simply shorten own life. In China, they say that such a visit promises big money.

Looking at a photo of a bat, many notice its resemblance to the rodent of the same name. And color, and size, and even the shape of the muzzle, and resourcefulness, briskness. In fact, the animals are different. It doesn’t matter if the bat is small or large in front of you, the main thing is to always remember that it is an excellent helper and friend of any gardener and gardener, which means you don’t need to destroy it.

The days when bats were considered vampires and messengers of the devil have not sunk into oblivion. Many are still afraid of winged creatures, firmly believing that a creature the size of a kitten is able to attack and drink all the blood. Reasonable people, who are not afraid of the animal, actively argue whether this miracle of nature is useful or harmful.

There is no doubt that this is a miracle. The only flying mammal on earth, this fact already makes the animal special. Yes, and the evolutionary stage of a bat is much higher than other winged creatures (feathered, insects).

General concepts and appearance

In addition to the name "mouse", the air and ground representatives of the family no longer have anything in common.. They have absolutely different origin, structure, lifestyle. Winged beauties originally from the order of bats, and they were named mice for some external similarities with a rodent and the ability to make sounds similar to a mouse squeak.

The main part of the body is occupied by wings. Without them, the animal will be a miniature, short-necked creature with a slightly elongated muzzle, very similar to a land mouse. To some, the appearance of a bat seems cute, someone is driven to shiver by a strangely shaped nose, large ears, a large mouth with pronounced sharp teeth and incomprehensible head growths.


Of all varieties flying family fruit dog of the fruit bat genus, perhaps the cutest. She has large, expressive eyes and a "fox" muzzle. white look flyers are equipped with a growth on the nose in the form of a horn, which makes the olfactory organ look like a petal. This structure is not accidental: the nostrils, set forward, subtly and quickly capture the slightest smells.

The bulldog mouse also has an unusual appearance. The muzzle is provided with a transverse fold of cartilaginous tissue, through the nose from ear to ear. This "roller" connects the ends of the auricles, thereby making them larger and hearing more perfect. The ushan mouse has simply huge ears compared to the body, which makes its echolocation capabilities perfect. By the way, it is this mouse that belongs to the vampire order and really feeds on blood.. But not human and not in frightening volumes, so it’s still not worth making a deadly monster out of it.

External features do not just create the appearance of the animal, they speak of its food preferences. Fruit flyers do not need powerful locating devices, but they do have prominent nostrils. After all, they get food exclusively by smell.

The ability to move through the air in winged animals is fundamentally different from the bird aircraft. Birds have a light cellular structure of bones, lung air sacs and a special structure of the feather with different functions. The family of bats does not have such complex structures.. Their wings are leathery membranous formations that open like a cloak, catch the air flow and this helps the animal to “push off” it and soar.



Such a device for the summer and the structure is special. So, the limbs of the mouse are not just paws, but the backbone for the wing: the shoulder is short, the forearm and four fingers are long so that the span area is larger. From the very base of the neck to the fingertips, except for the thumb, a skin-fibrous "mantle" is stretched. The big one has a function. It is equipped with a tenacious claw and serves to capture.

Bat sense organs

During the day, the animal almost does not see, so at this time he sleeps. In the structure of his eyes, there are no cone receptors responsible for daytime vision.. But there are rod receptors, which makes the animal vigilant at dusk and at night. But many species have skin folds in front of their eyes. This is another fact in favor of the assertion that the mouse moves in space, after all, not thanks to vision, but with the help of echolocation. Fruit bats have day vision, so it is quite possible to meet them during daylight hours.


It is difficult for a person to imagine how one can fly, catch prey and find their way to a nest without eyes, but for mice this is a common thing. The animal emits an ultrasound that humans cannot perceive. It is reflected from objects around and returns to the owner. The radius of the wave is 15 m. Returning, the information passes into the ear and is processed inside the hearing organ. This is the basic concept of echolocation.. which, by the way, people used to create scanner devices sea ​​depths. The same way of interacting with the environment from the whole world of mammals is still only among dolphins.

Russian residents of the flying family are small, up to 5 cm in the body and up to 20 cm in the wingspan. Their weight is only 2-5 g. Ushans, pig-noses and white species also do not differ in size. The pig-nosed mouse is generally considered the smallest mammal in the world.

planet. There are giants. They can weigh up to 1 kg, and a wingspan of up to 150 cm with a body of 40 cm. Such giants are found in the bat family of fruit bats, subspecies South American false vampire.



The flight of a bat is not too fast, up to 20 km/h. Although there is a record holder - the Brazilian folded lip. It develops 100 km/h. Mice flying away to spend the winter (there are such species) are able to fly more than 300 km.

It is inconvenient for winged creatures to walk on the ground. Their native element is air. True, the vampire subspecies has a stronger femur and, if necessary, is able to move on the surface, relying on the pads of the paws. But the bats can't do that. Their ground movements are clumsy and awkward.

Diet and sleep patterns of winged animals

Food habits depend on the species, which is why mice are divided into categories:

    Insectivores.

    Vegetarians (fruit eaters).

    Carnivores.

    Fish-eating.

    Vampires.

Bats sleep upside down. Claws caught on a suitable crossbar, they cover themselves with a cloak of wings and hang in clusters. As soon as the animal senses danger, it spreads its wings and flies away without delay by getting up and taking a vertical position..

Photos

Bat breeding

Before winter sleep the mating season begins for the animals. It takes several months to bear offspring.. The female feeds the baby with milk for 2 weeks, but surrounds with guardianship and care for longer, up to a month. There are 1-2 cubs in a litter. According to some reports, a bat can live for three decades.

Until now, this animal remains an unusual creature for human understanding, mysterious and interesting. It will be studied for a long time, most likely, there are many surprising things that we do not know about these nocturnal beauties.

Bat has long terrified people. Many legends and stories are invented around them. unusual image life and appearance. Their sharp teeth and night flying combined to create the illusion of a potential danger when encountering them. However, in reality, everything is not so, and only some rare species living in certain places, feed on blood large mammals. The rest are content with insects and have nothing to do with vampirism.

Origin of the species and description

Bats are primarily amazing in that they move through the air, flapping their wings like birds. However, they do this exclusively at night, without using one of the main senses - vision. Of course, they are not birds, because they themselves are viviparous and feed their young with milk. Yes, and they have nothing in common with birds, except for the ability to fly, even feathers.

Video: Bat


Bats belong to the class of mammals in the order Chiroptera. Their great amount types. According to various sources, from 600 to 1000 species of bats are distinguished. Of course, it is impossible to consider each species separately without being a specialist in these animals.

The main types, the most common and having clear differences, can be counted on the fingers, namely:

  • two-tone leather;
  • giant evening party;
  • white leaf-bearing;
  • pig-nosed bat;
  • large harelip;
  • water night;
  • brown earflaps;
  • dwarf bat;
  • ordinary vampire;
  • white-winged vampire;
  • fluffy vampire.

It is believed that the first bats appeared about 70 million years ago, when small arboreal mammals began to develop membranes on the sides, which later evolved into wings. It is possible that the cause of the formation of membranes was a gene mutation. Scientists believe that the change in the structure of the body of animals occurred quite quickly, since not a single individual of a transitional species has been found to date. That is, there was a so-called high-speed evolution.

Appearance and features

Bats Enough small size. The weight of the representative small kind, a pig-nosed bat, is about 2 grams, while the body length of an individual is only 33 mm. This is one of the smallest representatives in general among the animal kingdom. The largest bat is the giant pseudo-vampire, whose wingspan is 75 cm, and the body weight of an adult is in the range from 150 to 200 grams.

Different types of bats differ from each other in appearance and skull structure. But they all have something in common external signs. The main difference from many animals are wings. They are thin membranes stretched between the front and rear limbs. The wings of bats differ significantly from the wings of birds. They do not have feathers, but have long fingers, to which the membranes are attached.

An interesting fact: the wings are used not only for flying, but also as a blanket during sleep. Bats wrap themselves in them to keep warm.

Their hind limbs are also different. They are turned to the side, and knee joints back. The hind limbs are very developed. With their help, bats can for a long time hang upside down. Moreover, it is in this position that they sleep.

Almost all bats have large ears. Which is not surprising for an animal that does not have good eyesight. Ears are used by bats for echolocation and spatial orientation. The animal emits high-frequency subtle sounds, which are reflected from all objects and then perceived by the animal itself. The ears are equipped with a large network of blood vessels that feed them. The eyes of bats, on the contrary, are very small in size. Vision is monochrome and not sharp. Although there are exceptions, for example, the California leaf-bearer relies more on its eyesight than on hearing during hunting.

Most species of bats are dull in color. They are usually brown or gray, sometimes dark gray. This is due to the need to be unnoticed while hunting at night. There are also exceptions, for example, some species have white or bright red colors. The hairline of animals is thick, single-tiered. At the same time, the skin membrane is covered with very sparse hair.

Where does the bat live?

Bats are distributed everywhere, with the exception of the polar latitudes, starting from the tundra. There, mice simply have nowhere to hide from the harsh climatic conditions, and also missing required amount food. Among the snows, especially bats, it is not comfortable to exist, even considering the fact that they are able to hibernate.

The most important condition for their existence is the presence of a shelter that will allow them to hide daily during daylight hours and sleep. These can be, as is well known, caves. Bats are simply attached to the ceiling of the cave with their paws upside down and spend daylight hours there. At dusk, they begin to fly out to hunt. It is very interesting that flying out of the cave, bats always fly to the left.

According to the number of mice living in the caves, they promise an accumulation of their droppings on the lower part of the stone niche. Often its accumulation is about a meter.

If there are no caves nearby, then other shelters will do, in nature these are trees: mice find secluded places between twigs, fruits or in dense foliage. The most important thing for them is to sunlight didn't hit them. In towns and villages, it is even easier for bats to find shelter - any attic of a residential building will suit them. They are not afraid of people and calmly settle in their houses.

What does a bat eat?

Despite tales of vampirism and the use of bats in horror films such as From Dusk Till Dawn or Dracula, these creatures are completely harmless. They cannot bite a person. However, do not touch bats - they can carry diseases dangerous to humans or pets, such as rabies.

Most species of bats feed on insects: they are able to eat up to 200 mosquitoes in an hour of hunting. If we consider the ratio of the weight of the animal and the amount of food eaten, then quite a lot comes out, about a fifth of its own weight.

Some species of bats are larger, it is not enough for them to eat small insects and they are carnivores - they eat frogs, lizards, small birds and. There are several types of bats that feed on fish.

Blood-sucking bats, the so-called vampires, feed on the warm blood of animals, usually they bite livestock. Bites are painless for animals, because together with saliva they secrete a substance that has an analgesic effect. However, they can be dangerous as they carry various diseases that can even kill the animal.

There are also many types of bats that feed on plant foods:

  • flower pollen;
  • tree fruits (usually dates, bananas, mangoes);
  • flowers.

Such bats. live in hot tropical countries, Where all year round vegetation abounds. Now people are trying to keep exotic animals at home. The bat is no exception and is in demand in the pet market. But, if you are not an expert, you should not do this.

Since these pets are very specific. They require huge returns and strictly defined conditions. From food, carnivores can eat sliced ​​\u200b\u200bmeat or offal of birds or animals, herbivores should be fed fruit, and drink water and milk. Also, as a treat, the owners treated the animals to condensed milk.

Features of character and lifestyle

Bats are nocturnal. During the day they sleep, and at the same time they usually hide in various shelters, including underground. They are very fond of caves, tree hollows, earthen burrows, as well as quarries and mines, they can hide under tree branches and under bird nests.

They usually live in small colonies of several dozen individuals. Although there are more populated colonies, including those consisting of several different subspecies of bats. The record for the number of today is considered to be a colony of Brazilian folded lips, consisting of 20 million individuals.

In winter, most bats hibernate. But some are capable of migrating like birds to warmer climes, covering distances of up to 1000 km. Hibernation, depending on the area, can reach 8 months.

Hibernation occurs upside down, by hanging on its hind legs. This turns out to be convenient so that you can immediately go on a flight, spending less effort and time. No energy is spent on hanging due to the structural features of the limbs.

Interesting fact: on the island of Borneo there is a unique carnivorous plant, which attracts bats to itself with special sounds. But it does not eat them, but rather provides bats with its inflorescences as a refuge. Animals leave their excrement to the plant, which it uses as fertilizer. In nature, such a symbiosis is unique.

For orientation in space and for hunting, echolocation is used, which helps them maneuver, control the flight altitude and the distance to the walls of the cave. It is believed that during the hunt, bats become aware not only of the distance to the pursued target, but also the direction of its flight, and even what kind of prey it belongs to.

Social structure and reproduction

Living together in a colony does not make bats gregarious. Animals do not perform any joint actions and also hunt exclusively alone. They also do not create families. Two individuals unite only at the moment of mating, and then immediately forget about each other.

Most of the bats that live in temperate climate, begin to breed in the spring. Usually there are two to five cubs in a litter, but the exact number is highly dependent on environmental conditions. The female produces offspring once a year. She feeds her young until they develop wings. Growing up in different subspecies lasts different times.

For small subspecies of bats, a period of 6 to 8 weeks is typical until they become independent. For large subspecies of animals, this period can be up to four months. In the first week, the female usually takes the cub with her for night hunting. At the same time, he clings tightly to his mother during the flight. In the weeks that follow, he gets heavy, so she leaves him in the shelter for the duration of the hunt.

An interesting fact: female bats have the ability to control their pregnancy time, as well as delay the birth of offspring. This is necessary for them so that the offspring are born at a time when the amount of food is maximum. Very often, mating occurs in the fall, but fertilization occurs only in the spring.

The lifespan of bats directly depends on the specific subspecies. Most bats live 20 years, but there are subspecies with a lifespan of no more than 5 years.

Natural enemies of bats

Bats have quite a few enemies. This is primarily due to their small size and nocturnal lifestyle, when they go hunting much more large predators. For them, bats serve as excellent prey.

Among the predators that are especially dangerous for bats, it is fashionable to single out the following:

  • owls;
  • candles;
  • falcon, and other birds of prey;
  • rats;
  • predatory fish;
  • ferrets.

Not only do they get poisoned from these procedures at home, they also lose some of the food. Insects that live in the area also die from these poisons, and mice may not have enough food. Therefore, it is believed that bats do not live easily, and they need additional protection from humans. However, a specific lifestyle does not even allow this, because these animals are selective, and it is difficult to follow them.

Population and species status

Most of the bat species are endangered. Some subspecies have the status of vulnerable, requiring constant monitoring.

Basically, the population in the 20th century was negatively affected by the development Agriculture, environmental pollution, and habitat loss. But at the same time, there were facts of deliberate extermination, destruction of nests and treatment of roofs and attics of houses with repellents. Studies have also been conducted in the United States that have shown that wind farms also affect the number of bats. Bats are killed by collisions with wind turbine blades and from lung damage due to pressure drops near the blades.

But since bats are central to the ecosystem, measures are being taken to protect them. In Europe, they are in fact the only natural regulator of the number of insects that are nocturnal. Thanks to efforts to protect bats, the populations of certain subspecies have stabilized, and some have increased.

The European Environment Agency, based on a study of about 6,000 nesting sites, concluded that the number of bats increased by 43% between 1993 and 2011. But these are average figures, and, unfortunately, the number of some subspecies continues to decline.

Bat guard

In the countries of the European Union, all species of bats are protected in accordance with EU directives and international conventions. Russia also signed all international agreements for the protection of bats. Many of them are included in the Red Book. According to Russian legislation, not only the bats themselves are subject to protection, but also their habitats and shelters. In particular, even the bodies of sanitary supervision and veterinary control cannot take any measures in relation to the settlements of bats in the city.

As measures for the protection of bats, the existence of animal settlements and their migration routes are taken into account during the construction of wind parks. Supervision is carried out in protected areas and informing visitors to protected areas about the rules established for the protection of bats. There is a decline artificial lighting in their habitats.

To inform citizens about the need to protect animals and to draw people's attention to the problem of their protection, the environmental holiday "International Night of Bats" is celebrated annually on September 21. In Europe, the night of bats has been celebrated for almost 20 years. It has been running in our country since 2003.

Each of us has seen a bat at least once in a lifetime. They are, in fact, fluffy birds without feathers that flap their wings in search of someone's hair in which they build a nest, infecting the owner of the hair with rabies along the way. Even if the bat doesn't turn into a hungry vampire, most people prefer not to be around them... just in case. But in fact, we do not know much about these amazing creatures.

10. There are more than a thousand species of bats in nature.

On this moment there are 1,240 various kinds bats, and these are just the ones we know about. They are actually one of the most diverse animals on Earth. In total, bats are thought to make up 20 percent of all mammals in the world. Just imagine, someone, it turns out, had so much free time that he took up counting all the species of mammals on the planet. They counted every species of rodents, cats, dogs, monkeys, whales, and so on, and still came to the conclusion that the number of bats exceeds the number of any other animal species. Every fifth animal from this long furry row is a bat. And if you manage to look at all of them put together, you will be amazed at how much they differ from each other. Of all these hundreds of species of bats, in temperate zones lives less than fifty, so it is not at all difficult to forget that they can grow to gigantic sizes, such as, for example, bats living in the tropics, whose wingspan is 180 centimeters. Bats can also be tiny, like the pig-nosed bat found in Thailand, which is the smallest mammal in the world, as its body length is only 2.9-3.3 centimeters.

9 Bats Are Important Pollinators

They are important pollinators and seed sowers. Like bees and some birds, many bats flit merrily from flower to flower, drinking nectar, moving pollen between plants and spreading seeds through their droppings. Moreover, hundreds of things that we use in daily life have become available only thanks to bats. Such things as wild bananas, avocados, peaches, mangoes, cashews and many others depend on them. And that's just part of the food. Bats also ensure the survival of seventy-two species. medicinal plants, as well as dozens of other plants needed to produce wood, fiber and dyes. And even if this is not enough, then know that bats help one of the most important plants - agave. That's right, if there were no bats, tequila would have to be forgotten.

8 Bats Help Farmers Save Millions


Bats are an incredibly powerful pest control force. But you've probably already heard about it. Bats eat insects that no one likes and everyone is happy. You may have heard that one bat can destroy 1200 mosquitoes per hour. Unfortunately for us, but fortunately for mosquitoes, this is only half true. Although they could probably do this, bats prefer to snack on meatier insects such as caterpillars and beetles. Good news is that most of the caterpillars and beetles they love are pests. In a recent study, a group of researchers decided to try and figure out how much money bats save American farmers every year by killing pests. They came up with an astonishing $3.7 billion. At a minimum, and at a maximum, this amount was about 50 billion. In any case, this amount is enough to buy every bat in the country something nice for their birthday.

6. Not all bats eat fruits and insects.


Some bats prefer larger prey. They are not all bloodsucking or insectivorous. Some bats are real hunters. For example, some species have evolved to be able to fish. Using their echolocation, they can make out the slightest signal ripples on the surface of the lake. Then they dive down and snatch the fish out of the water with their hind legs armed with claws. Having caught a fish, they fly to the nearest pole and eat the prey. Others, like the ghost bat found in Australia, prey on anything from rodents, lizards, frogs, nesting birds, and even other bats. They lunge at their prey from above, cover them with their wings and bite through their necks, killing them instantly before eating them. But none of the above mice can compare with a giant evening. During migration, some birds prefer to fly at night, ironically to avoid predators. In fact, they just become great snack for giant vespers that are able to grab even the fastest and most agile birds on the fly. If desired, they would certainly become excellent frisbee catchers.

5. Bats are smart and social animals.


Bats are smart and sociable. For example, long-eared bats form colonies and within the colony they are friends in groups of about twenty individuals each. Each such group is formed around the females of a separate family. Even though all the bats in the colony get along well with each other, they prefer to be in these small groups. Even if they do not see each other for a while, they will still gather in the same groups. Just like people, their friendships can change. Individual bats can forever leave one group and join another; only females connected by blood ties remain in place. If the grandmother leaves, so will the daughter and granddaughter. The amazing thing is that bats can distinguish between other individuals by the difference in their chirps, and they can also place other mice on something like mental map to always know where they are. It is believed that it is thanks to this ability that they can fly in thousands at great speed without turning into a bunch of fluffy spots on the walls of caves.

4. Bats hibernate for a very long time.


The hibernation of bats can easily put the hibernation of bears to shame, making it look like a cat's midday nap. While bears simply fall asleep for periods of time lasting several weeks, bats practically freeze and spend months in this position. Their breathing slows until it becomes barely audible and their heart rate drops to just 25 beats per minute, compared to about 400 beats per minute when they are awake. Even more impressively, their body temperature drops in line with the surrounding air, which sometimes drops below freezing. They typically wake up for a few minutes every few weeks to drink, which they do by licking the condensed moisture off their fur, although bats have also been known to not even move for months.

3 Bats Are Surprisingly Loud


Sorry, we meant STUNNING LOUD. The researchers were able to determine that some species can produce sounds up to 140 decibels. To get a better idea of ​​just how loud this is, know that humans' pain threshold - the loudness at which sounds cause physical pain - is only about 120 decibels. Rock concerts are usually played at 110-115 decibels. Bats are not only the world's loudest aerial animals, but they are also much louder than any land animal. So why haven't we all been destroyed by bats gathered in a flock yet? The answer is that most of the sounds made by bats are too high frequency for the human ear. In fact, the high frequency of the sounds they make is believed to be the reason they are so loud. High-frequency noises don't travel through the air as well as low-frequency noises, so bats just yell rather than talk to make up for this. It is only unknown if they use their inner voice when communicating in the caves.

2 Bat Hearing And Echolocation Are Much Better Than You Think


Bats are world champions in echolocation, they make a sound and then listen to the echo of that sound bouncing off other objects. While dolphins use their echolocation to get stuck in webs, bats use their echolocation to pick out individual strands of webs. What makes bats so good at echolocation is called super-velocity muscle, which can move about a hundred times faster than a normal human muscle. They are the only mammal known to science to have a super-fast muscle that allows them to make squeaking noises up to 190 times per second, essentially giving bats the ability to "see" through sound, albeit at a short distance. Of course, there would be no point in echolocation without surprisingly good hearing to pick up returning sounds. But bats are fine with that. Their hearing is so good that they can hear insects moving underground next to a busy highway. And we have to ask each other to repeat what was said, since we did not hear the phrase because of the soft music.

1 Bats Migrate Great Distances By The Millions


In the US, many bats fly hundreds of miles during their seasonal migrations, looking for the same caves they have used to hibernate for centuries. But this is nothing compared to the annual migrations of palm fruit bats in Africa. In November each year, more than eight million of these big bats fly into National Park Kasanka National Park in Zambia, and spend the next couple of months hanging from perches in a tiny area less than half a hectare in size. Each tree can withstand up to ten tons of bats. During those two months, this tiny part of Zambia hosts the densest concentration of mammals on the planet. With the advent of dusk, they take off and close the sky, flying into surrounding forest, where they cluster around trees rich in ripe fruit at this time of the year. The weight of fruits eaten overnight is twice the weight of the bat itself. Researchers still don't know exactly where these bats spend the rest of the year, but they suspect they scatter all over Africa. What is known for sure is that they fly huge distances. Researchers who have attached tracking devices to some of these bats have found that they fly over 965 kilometers a month. In order to visualize this distance more clearly, you can mentally draw a straight line from Washington to Detroit.