Bats (lat. Microshirortera) - a name that generalizes all representatives of the order of bats, except for fruit bats. For a long time, bats were considered only as a suborder, but karyological and molecular genetic data have proven that the group is a team.

Description of the bat

Bats live on our planet for several tens of millions of years, and the finds of the skeleton of such an animal date back to the Eocene period. According to scientists, the most ancient creatures practically did not differ from modern individuals, but the appearance of their ability to fly has not yet found a scientific explanation.

Appearance

Despite the obvious differences in representatives different types bats in size and external characteristics, there are many features that unite them. The body of bats is covered with fur, which has lighter shades in the abdomen. The wingspan of such an animal varies between 15-200 cm. The shape of the wings can be very different, including fluctuations in length and width, but their structure is always of the same type. The wings of an animal with leathery membranes are equipped with muscles and elastic veins, due to which, at rest, they are tightly pressed against the body.

This is interesting! Bats fly using membranous wings that move in sync with their hind limbs.

The forelimbs of bats are fairly well developed, including strong, short upper arms and very long forearms formed by a single radius. On thumb a hooked claw is located on the forelimb, and the membranes of the wings, which are located on the sides, are supported by other rather long fingers.

The average length of the tail, and the shape of the body directly depend on the species of the individual. The presence of a so-called bony outgrowth called a "spur" allows many species to unfold their wings quite easily all the way to the tail.

Lifestyle and behavior

Almost all bats, along with other bats, prefer a nocturnal lifestyle, so during the daytime they sleep, hanging head down or hiding in cracks in rocks, trees and buildings. Sufficient cavities inside trees, caves and grottoes, as well as various artificial aboveground and underground structures can be considered as a refuge for representatives of the class Mammals and the order Chiroptera.

Bat able to fall into a state of stupor, which is accompanied by a decrease in the rate of metabolic processes, a slowdown in the intensity of breathing and a decrease in heart rate. Very many representatives of the species fall into a long period of seasonal hibernation, sometimes lasting eight months. The ability to easily carry out independent regulation of the metabolic rate in the body, allows volatile insectivorous mice go without food for a long time.

This is interesting! In the process of normal movement, adult bats can easily reach speeds of 15 km / h, but in the process of hunting, the animal accelerates to 60 km / h.

Representatives of many species live in different vivo, but the habits of bats are remarkably similar. Such animals do not build nests, but a solitary lifestyle is characteristic of only a few species. In the process of rest, bats try to carefully look after their appearance, so they carefully clean their wings, abdomen and chest. Indicators of mobility outside the summer period depend on species characteristics, therefore, some representatives are characterized by some helplessness, and many bats can climb well and move quite actively with the help of tenacious paws.

How long do bats live

Bats of any kind are able to live long enough compared to many other mammals. For example, the average officially recorded lifespan of a brown bat today is thirty years or more.

Varieties of bats

There are a great many species of bats, and varieties of bats are characterized by a different structure of the skull and the number of teeth:

  • tailless or- one of the smallest animals in size up to 45 mm long. The sonar animal lives in Honduras and countries in Central America. Eats fruits. Individuals are combined into families, most often consisting of five and six heads;
  • Pig-nosed bats- animals with a tailless body length of up to 33 mm and a mass of 2.0 g. The nose resembles a pig's stigma in appearance. They live mainly in Thailand and neighboring countries where they settle in limestone caves. Animals feed in bamboo and teak thickets;
  • Party Bat- a representative of one of the largest families in the form of thirteen subspecies. The animal has become widespread in North Africa and in European countries, where it settles in deciduous dense plantings. The length of a large bat is half a meter. Hunts at dusk and before dawn for butterflies, beetles and some birds;
  • Bat dog and fox or "fruit mouse" – whole view fruit bat mice with an elongated muzzle. The length of a large adult animal is 40-42 cm with a weight of up to a kilogram and a wingspan of up to 70 cm. A harmless animal feeds on fruit pulp and flower nectar. Inhabits the countries of tropical Asia;
  • smooth-nosed bats- a family represented by three hundred varieties that are distinguished by a smooth muzzle without cartilaginous growths. A little less than forty varieties live in our country, which hibernate with the onset of winter;
  • Ushany- bats with large locator ears, short and wide wings. Body length does not exceed 50-60 mm. The diet is represented by butterflies, mosquitoes, beetles and other nocturnal insects;
  • bulldog bat- the animal has special narrow, rather long and pointed wings, which allows it to perform high swings during the flight. The body length is only 4-14 cm. They live in tropical zones, where they unite in colonies with different amount individuals.

Range, habitats

The range and habitats of bats almost completely coincide with the distribution range of all representatives of the bat order. Most bats have their own special territories used for hunting and foraging, so representatives of the order of bats very often fly along the same route.

A bat is a mammal animal that belongs to placental mammals, a species of bats, is considered to be the most mysterious animal. On the one hand, the bat is the only mammal that can move through the air; on the basis of this ability, they claimed that it was a bird. But, on the other hand, they are viviparous, they feed their young with milk, which birds do not do.

The nocturnal lifestyle of these animals and frightening appearance created many legends around them, and some are absolutely convinced that the little animals sleeping upside down in secluded places are real vampires who hunt people and animals to drink their blood. Not everything in these legends is fiction.

The very name "bat" appeared in Russian only at the beginning of the 17th century, thanks to the translation german book. This literary variant took root, and that is how the animals of the bat order began to be called.

In Russia, there were other names: bat, kozhan, evening, nocturnal, horseshoe, long-eared, arrow-eared, pipe-nosed and others. All are reflected outward sign these mammals or features of their way of life.

The same is observed in modern name. Animals with no kinship with a detachment of rodents, very much resemble them in appearance. Yes, and the sound of a bat is similar to the squeak of rodents, and the ability to fly adds a definition that has become the name of the order of bats.

What do bats look like?

It is believed that every fourth mammal on earth belongs to the chiroptera order. Despite the species differences, they all have common external features.

Wings

chief hallmark these animals are wings. It was because of the presence that the disputes continued for a long time: the bat is still a bird or an animal.

The wings are thin membranes that are stretched between the front and rear limbs. Unlike birds, bats do not have feathers, and the membranes are attached to the very long fingers of the forelimbs.

The wingspan, depending on the species, can vary from 16 cm to 1.5 m. Despite the apparent fragility, they are able to withstand significant loads and reach a flight speed of up to 20 km / h.

Flight is not the only purpose of wings. During sleep, bats wrap themselves in them, and thus their warmth is preserved.

Bat Skeleton

The body of animals is relatively small: the spine is much shorter than the modified forelimbs with five fingers with sharp claws. The animal does not have strong limbs, the humerus is shortened, so its movement on the ground is minimal, the main thing for them is flight.

The skull is rounded, with a short anterior part in some species and an elongated one in others. If you look at bats, then the calf is practically invisible. It seems that they consist of a head and wings.

Animals have a tail that is not covered with hair. For most, it serves as a device for maneuvering during flight.

Ears

ears play important role in the life of an animal that does not have sharp eyesight. In almost all species, they are huge.

Numerous networks of blood vessels feed the ears, since their participation in the life of bats provides them with the ability to move and hunt.

Animals make subtle sounds, which, starting from objects, return. This method of orientation in the world is called echolocation. The ability to catch even the quietest sounds with lightning speed helps bats fly at night, hear the movement of potential prey.

Violations in the work of the hearing organs most often leads to the death of the animal.

Eyes

Bats are nocturnal, which in the process of evolution has affected their vision. Small eyes in almost all species are located in front of the muzzle.

The animals of this detachment see everything in black and white. Since the bat sleeps during the day in shelters, its eyes react very poorly to sunlight.

But even for these animals there are exceptions. Thus, the California leaf-bearer sometimes relies more on sight than on hearing during hunting.

If a bat lives like a pet, then you have noticed that it rarely flies into a room in which the light is on, and to catch it, it is enough to turn on the light bulb, and the animal immediately stops flying.

Teeth

Absolutely all chiropterans have teeth: incisors, molars and premolars, canines can be observed in the jaw. But their number, size and structure depend solely on what bats eat in natural environment.

Those bats whose diet consists of insects have up to 38 teeth, and the length of their fangs can also be different. Bloodsucking mice typically have 20 teeth in their jaws and are not as large or as developed as their insectivorous cousins.

The shape of the teeth is adapted to what bats eat in nature. So in insectivorous animals, the teeth resemble mortars that grind coarse food. But only those who feed on blood have long fangs.

Wool

Most species of bats have a soft color: brown, gray, dark gray. This is due to the need to remain unnoticed during night hunting. But even among these animals there are real fashionistas: the Mexican fish-eating species has bright orange or yellow fur. There are bats in shades of which there are light colors: fawn, light yellow.

The Honduran white bat boasts a white coat and bright yellow ears and nose.

The quality of the coating may also vary. There are animals with thick and sparse fur, long and short pile.

Bat species (insectivorous and herbivorous)

The study of the life of bats is complicated by their secrecy, but scientists were able to establish that on this moment About 700 species of these animals have been recorded. We will talk about some of them in more detail.

The habitat of representatives of this species is almost all countries of Eurasia. You can meet it on the territory of Russia, from southern Siberia to the western borders. They live in mountain ranges, and in forests, and in the steppes. Some animals of this species easily inhabit even the attics of houses in large cities.

The body length of these bats is up to 6.5 cm, and the wingspan is 33 cm. At the same time, they weigh up to 23 grams. These dimensions make it possible to say that two-tone leather- a fairly large bat.

The original color of the animal determined its name: the ears, muzzle and wings are almost black, the back is dark brown, and the abdomen is light gray or white.

Bicolor leathers feed on nocturnal insects.

These bats live in the European part. The giant evening bat is the largest bat living in Russia. Its body length reaches 11 cm, weight - 70-80 grams, and wingspan - 45-50 cm.

The animal does not have a bright color: usually they are brown or reddish-brown, the abdomen is noticeably lighter than the back. But it is quite difficult not to notice the flight of these creatures, since their size is impressive.

Watching the life of the evening, they found out what these bats eat large insects. In Russia they prefer beetles and butterflies.

They usually nest in hollow trees. Since in habitats are possible low temperatures, in the cold season, the animals migrate, choosing warmer regions.

The white bat got its name for its original appearance: their wool white color with slight gray patches on the abdomen. But the nose and ears of representatives of this species are bright yellow, and their shape resembles leaves. It seems that the animal has stuck autumn leaves to itself.

This is one of the small representatives of bats: the body size is no more than 4-5 cm, and the weight is only 7 grams. It is so small that sometimes it seems that it is a bird.

This one lives white miracle in South and Central America, Honduras, Panama. For life, they choose evergreen forests, where they always find food for themselves - ficuses and fruits.

The original appearance of the animal attracts attention, so the bat at home is becoming more common.

Representatives of this species are rightfully considered the smallest: their weight does not exceed 2 grams, the body length is 3-5 cm. Sometimes they are confused with bumblebees.

They got their name for the original nose, reminiscent of a pig's snout. The usual color is dark brown, sometimes grayish brown. The coat on the abdomen has a lighter shade.

Pig-nosed bats live in southwestern Thailand and on some nearby islands. In other places, they are not common, therefore they are rightfully considered endemic to this area.

A feature of these animals is their joint hunting: they usually gather in small flocks and fly out together in search of small insects.

Small bats are difficult to see with the naked eye, so it is very difficult to observe their life.

The limited habitat has made the population of these animals extremely small. Currently, this species is listed in the Red Book.

These animals live in the territory from southern Mexico to northern Argentina, as well as in the Bahamas and Antilles.

The big harelip is a large bat: its weight sometimes reaches 80 grams, the body size is up to 13.5 cm.

The animals have an interesting color feature: males are bright red, sometimes even fiery red, but females are very faded, grayish brown.

These bats got their second name - the fish-eating bat - because of their eating habits. Animals prefer to live near water bodies. Scientists have found that the harelip eats not only insects, like many bats, but also small fish, small crayfish and frogs.

By the way, unlike many members of their detachment, they can fly out to hunt during the day.

The life of representatives of this species was described in detail by the French scientist Dobanton. It was in honor of him that these animals received their second name - Dobanton's bats.

Relatively small animals (weight up to 15 grams, wingspan - no more than 27 cm, and body length - 5.5 cm) prefer to hunt near water bodies, preferring mosquitoes and other blood-sucking insects for food.

Small-sized bats have a fairly wide habitat: in Russia they can be found in the lower reaches of the Volga, in the Ussuri Territory, on Sakhalin, Kamchatka, in the Primorsky Territory; they also live in other countries: in Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Mongolia, Italy.

Inconspicuous in appearance (usually their fur is dark brown), they are excellent hunters, destroying entire hordes of insects.

Reducing the population of water bats contributes to the spread of livestock diseases transmitted through insect bites.

The most noticeable part of these bats are their huge ears. With a weight of no more than 12 grams and a body size of 5 cm, the ears are sometimes larger than the body. But they cannot boast of the original coloring: their gray-brown fur is very plain.

Earflaps are found in almost all countries of Eurasia, in northern Africa, in China.

For their dwellings, they adapt almost any place: caves, buildings, trees. Most often they fly away to warmer regions for the winter, but always return to their old homes.

Huge ears allow her to hunt even in complete darkness.

It is rightfully considered the smallest representative of the order of bats living in Europe. Its body is up to 4 cm long and weighs 6 g. Representatives of this species have a fairly long tail - up to 3.5 cm.

The color of the animal depends on the region of habitat: in animals living in Asia, it is pale, grayish; European brown.

Bats settle near human habitation, often choosing attics of houses and sheds.

Representatives of this species prefer small insects for food, which helps a lot, exterminating thousands of mosquitoes and midges.

Bat species (bloodsucking)

Watching the representatives of the order of bats, they found out what they eat in wild nature The bat is not only insects and plants. Among these animals there are also those that feed on blood.

A very numerous species spread the opinion about bats as vampires capable of drinking all the blood from an animal or a person. Another name is a big bloodsucker. The enzyme contained in the saliva of these animals can be quite dangerous: it affects blood clotting. Even a minor wound can cause major blood loss. And if several dozen bloodsuckers attack during the night, then death is inevitable.

This is not a very large bat (weight no more than 50 grams, and a wingspan of up to 20 cm) spends the whole day sleeping upside down in its shelter in a large company of brothers, and after dark it flies out to hunt. She chooses her victim among sleeping animals, especially prefers cattle- They can't resist. Choosing a place on the body near the vessels, the animal bites and licks the blood, which easily flows out of the wound.

A person can also be attacked by ordinary vampires if they spend the night in places accessible for visiting by these bats.

The habitat of this species is South and Central America.

The representative of this species has average dimensions for bats: body length - up to 11 cm, weight - up to 40 grams, and wingspan - up to 40 cm.

Like an ordinary vampire, the white-winged one lives in South and Central America. Its coat has a reddish-brown hue, somewhat light on the abdomen.

The white-winged vampire attacks birds, it is their blood that is the diet of the animal.

It lives in the same places as its blood-feeding counterparts. But representatives of this species can easily attack both birds and animals.

Unlike other bats, the ruffed vampire does not have a well-developed hearing, so in its flights it relies not so much on the usual echolocation as on vision.

Their grayish-brown coloration and small size allow them to sneak up on their victims unnoticed.

Many researchers have noted that hairy-legged vampires are absolutely not afraid of people: they can fly up very close, practically sit on their hands.

Bats are very often frightened, calling them blood-sucking and dangerous, but of all the variety of species, only three actually drink blood.

Where do bats live?

If we talk about the territories where bats live, then we must list the entire planet. The only exceptions are tundra regions and lands covered with ice. In these natural conditions, the life of bats is impossible. There are no these animals on some remote islands, because they simply could not get there.

The bat is rare mammal, which can exist in almost any place where there is at least some opportunity to hide during the daytime.

In all other corners the globe you can meet representatives of this group. Even in major cities, in the attics of high-rise buildings, bats find shelter.

The bat in nature prefers to settle in caves, where, clinging to ledges, they sleep during the daytime, and at dusk they fly out to hunt. There are caves in which thousands of colonies of bats live. Sometimes the height of the excrement layer in them reaches a meter, which indicates the number of animals and the length of stay in this place.

Where there is no natural shelter, these animals are placed on the trees, hiding between the branches. Sometimes they occupy abandoned hollows, can build themselves shelters from large leaves, gnaw through bamboo trunks, and even settle down between the fruits of plants. The main requirements for their house, where the bat sleeps all day, are safety and the absence of direct sunlight.

These animals are not afraid of people at all, therefore they are quietly placed in the attics of houses, sheds, in livestock rooms.

Sometimes people, not knowing what bats eat in nature, believe that they can be dangerous to humans and domestic animals. Therefore, having found these animals in their attic or in the barn, they try to exterminate them. Most bats eat insects and are therefore completely harmless.

Bats most often live in colonies, which can number several tens of thousands of individuals. Some species huddle together during daytime rest, others prefer to hang upside down in splendid isolation.

A record number of individuals in one colony was counted in Brazil. In one place there was a refuge for 20 million individuals.

Living together does not make these animals flocking, since they do not produce any joint actions: they hunt exclusively alone.

Do not create bats and families. Uniting only at the moment of mating, they immediately forget about each other.

In regions where there are cold seasons, animals can hibernate, which lasts up to 8 months. At this time, bats wrap themselves in their wings, attach themselves upside down in some secluded place and sleep without eating.

Some species are capable of seasonal migrations. With the onset of cold weather, they fly to warmer regions. Sometimes during this period, bats cover distances of up to 1000 kilometers.

If natural conditions allow the animals to remain active all year round.

How long do bats live?

An interesting question remains: how many years do bats live in nature. Average duration life 5 years. How long bats live depends on the species. Among these animals there are also centenarians, whose age can reach up to 20 years.

The age of the longest-lived record holder among bats is 33 years.

A bat at home usually lives less than the time allotted to it by nature, since it does not have the opportunity to be fully active.


How do bats reproduce?

Reproduction of bats has its own characteristics. Some species that live in warm climatic zones give birth to cubs twice a year. The mating period does not matter to them. The secret way of life of bats does not allow us to accurately imagine how the process of courtship of a male for a female goes.

Males of some species make a variety of sounds before mating. Perhaps with this song they attract the female or tell her about their intentions.

The animals that live in temperate latitudes, bring offspring only once. Mating usually occurs in the fall, before the moment when the animals go into hibernation. But the spermatozoa that have entered the body of the female do not immediately fertilize the egg, but may be in some reservation until the moment of awakening.

After hibernation, pregnancy occurs, the duration of which depends on both the species and temperature. environment: at low - the baby develops longer.

Usually females give birth to one cub, less often two or three. During childbirth, the mouse turns upside down. The calf is born feet first, which is extremely rare in mammals, and immediately enters the tail bag, where it spends a week. After the babies, they hide in shelters and feed with milk. It was this ability of bats that decided the dispute: is a bat a mammal or not, in favor of classifying them as mammals.

In the first week, the female takes her cub with her for night hunting. He clings tightly to his mother during the flight. But after a while, she is forced to leave him in a shelter, because the baby becomes heavy, and it is not possible to fly with him for a long time.

The unique sense of smell allows these animals to find their cubs after night flights. They smell the baby at a distance of several kilometers.

Within a week, and sometimes two, the babies remain completely helpless, and only after a month they begin to independently hunt near their shelter, without moving far from it.

What does a bat eat and how does it hunt in the wild?

Almost all bats fly out to hunt at dusk or after sunset. The thing is that their vision is developed much worse than their hearing. Most bats feed on flying insects. They hear their movements and pick up prey on the fly or find it among the foliage.

There are animals that feast exclusively on the nectar of flowers and the fruits of fruit trees.

Some large species They also eat earthworms and large insects.

Among the bats there is a bat, whose diet includes frogs and small fish, in addition to insects. The animals fly above the surface of the water and determine by the splash where potential prey is located.

But there are only three blood-sucking species, and they live in South and Central America. They fly out to hunt at night, find animals, bite and lick the blood.

Enemies of bats

Bats do not have many enemies in nature, although the animals are very small. This is most likely due to the fact that the nocturnal lifestyle does not give them the opportunity to intersect in nature with many animals that are active during the day. They camouflage their shelters well or live in large colonies, where it can be quite scary for many animals and birds to penetrate.

Those bats that fly out to hunt at dusk (for example, evenings) more often become the prey of daytime birds of prey (hawks, hobby falcons, peregrine falcons), who happily feed on these bats.

But also night predator birds(owls and owls) quite often attack bats, although it is very difficult to hunt them: advanced echolocation allows you to notice danger and dodge deadly claws and beaks.

Scientists from one of the American institutes noticed an interesting fact: bats living in the caves of one of the mountain ranges of Hungary are attacked by ordinary tits. Brave birds fly into caves, grab a sleeping animal and take it to their nest. Birds rarely fly up to colonies, since the number of bats can be a mortal danger for them.

In those latitudes where many tree snakes live, bats hiding in the branches have a hard time. During the day, the animals, as a rule, sleep in shelters and are far from always able to react to an approaching creeping enemy. Yes and fly at sunlight they practically cannot, so they fall prey to those snakes that can eat small bats.

Bats, especially small individuals and species, often fall into the paws of spiders. They cannot see the stretched web in the dark; in this case, echolocation does not always help either. But bats get to hear the insect beating in the web. Sometimes large spiders that feed on small animals do not specifically kill insect prey in order to catch a larger one on it - a bat.

Sometimes bats become food for more large predators- weasels, polecats and martens that sneak up on sleeping animals and kill them.

But the main enemy is man. Sometimes people destroy entire colonies of bats just because they mistakenly consider them dangerous. Although the animals bring many benefits, destroying insects that carry the infection.

It happens that a person does not have as his goal to kill bats. Some fertilizers or pesticides are harmful to flying animals.

It seems incredible that people also eat bats for food. In many Asian countries, the meat of these animals is considered a delicacy.

What are the benefits of bats

In nature, bats do more good than harm. There are only a few blood-sucking species, so it is impossible to say that it is bats that carry diseases.

But they destroy insects that, flying from one animal to another, are capable of spreading infections. During the season, the animals eat a huge number of mosquitoes, beetles and butterflies, many of which, for example, in tropical countries do carry deadly diseases.

They protect chiropteran orchards and agricultural land from pests that can destroy crops or damage trees and shrubs.

Flying from plant to plant, they help pollinate them.

Bat droppings are an excellent fertilizer. In some caves where colonies of animals live, up to a meter of excrement can accumulate.

Bat saliva enzymes are used in medicine.

IN Lately people are increasingly adopting as pets not only dogs and cats, but also some exotic animals, among which there is also a bat. At home, these animals take root, but they do not feel as comfortable as in natural conditions. If you still want to keep a bat at home, then try to provide her with a life as close to nature as possible.

First of all, keep in mind that bats are exclusively nocturnal. If you plan to watch her during the day, then you will have to admire the sleeping animal. But at night, your pet will want to fly, which can cause a lot of inconvenience.

pet house

Despite his small size, a bat at home needs a very spacious enclosure where the pet will be able to fly. It is necessary to equip the house with branches, shelters, so that the animal has the opportunity to hide during the daytime rest.

The vital functions of bats directly depend on the ambient temperature, therefore, in the room where the pet lives, it should be approximately 30 degrees, which is quite a lot for a comfortable stay of a person.

A bird cage is not always suitable for keeping bats, since the distance between the twigs is sufficient so that one fine night you can find that the animal flies over your heads and enjoys feasting on insects.

In the natural environment, most bats prefer insects, which they themselves perfectly catch by making night flights. By the way, at home they should be fed in evening time, once a day.

A bat at home does not have the opportunity to feed itself, so the pet's diet should be as close to natural as possible. But this does not mean that the owners unusual pets must catch mosquitoes all evenings and bring them to their pet in a jar. What should you feed a small bat if it lives at home?

The following diet is suitable for bats:

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

Feeding a pet is not so easy: you can add raw yolk, a little honey and vitamin E to the milk mixture. You need to take the animal in your hands and offer it the mixture through a pipette. Keeping the leftover mixture in the refrigerator is not recommended.

Insects suitable for food are usually stored in jars, but for a short time. A tame bat will gladly accept food, but it is not very easy to train it to eat from your hands. It is possible that at first she will refuse food.

Knowing what voracious bats actually eat at home, remember that animals can eat up to half their weight at a time, which, with little activity, can be dangerous to their health. Don't overfeed them.

Interesting facts about bats

  • The opinion is firmly entrenched that bats are vampires that fly out to hunt at night and drink the blood of their victims. This judgment greatly exaggerates the idea of ​​an animal, but not unreasonably. There were practically no cases of attacks by bats on people, but in Central and South America there are species that cling to large animals that are not able to resist, and drink their blood.
  • Despite what bats eat in the wild and at home, there are no fat animals among them. It's all about good metabolism. They are able to digest all the food they eat in half an hour, although some species are able to catch and eat up to 60 insects in an hour of their hunting.
  • Scientists have found that an enzyme contained in the saliva of bats can help people suffering from heart disease. Once in the human blood, this enzyme prevents seizures, and with prolonged use completely cure the heart. Serious research is currently underway in this area.
  • remembering Interesting Facts about bats, many will note the ability to sleep upside down. None of the representatives of the animal world rests like that. The fact is that this position allows bats to rest and relax the muscles involved in the flight. It also allows you to save energy during takeoff: the animal simply releases the claws with which it was held, falls down and takes off in a maneuver. The lower limbs are completely unsuitable for running and pushing.
  • Made amazing discovery: on the island of Borneo exists carnivorous plant, which lures bats with special sounds. But he does not eat them at all, but provides his inflorescences as a refuge. In return, bats leave their excrement to the hospitable host, which is very necessary fertilizer for the plant. Such a symbiosis in nature is unique.
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Bats are small fluffy animals that skillfully dart through the sky at dusk.
Almost all species of bats are nocturnal, resting during the day, hanging head down, or hiding in some kind of hole.

The bats belong to the order Chiroptera, and constitute its main part. It is worth noting that bats live on all continents of our planet, except for Antarctica.

It is not realistic to consider a mouse in flight, their flapping flight is very different from the flight of birds and insects, surpassing them in maneuverability and aerodynamics.

The average speed of bats in flight is from 20-50 km/h. Their wings have brushes with long fingers connected by a thin but strong leathery membrane. This membrane is stretched 4 times, without breaks and damage. During the flight, the mouse performs symmetrical wing flaps, pressing them strongly against itself, much tighter than other flying animals, thus improving the aerodynamics of its flight.

The flexibility of the wing allows the Bat to instantly turn 180 degrees, almost without making a turn. Bats are also capable of hover in the air like insects, making quick wing beats.

Echolocation of Bats

For orientation Bats use echolocation and not by sight. During the flight, they send ultrasonic pulses, which are reflected from various objects, including living ones (insects, birds), and are captured by the auricles.

The intensity of the ultrasonic signals sent by the mouse is very high, and in many species it reaches up to 110-120 decibels (a passing train, a jackhammer). However, the human ear does not hear them.

Echolocation helps the mouse not only navigate in flight, maneuvering in a dense forest, but also control the flight altitude, hunt, chase prey, and look for a place to sleep during the day.

The bats often sleep in groups, despite their small size, they have high level socialization.

Songs of Bats

Among mammals (other than humans), bats are the only ones that use very complex vocal sequences to communicate. This sounds like bird songs, but much more difficult.

mice sing songs during the courtship of a male for a female, to protect his territory, to identify each other and indicate his status, while raising cubs. Songs are published in the ultrasonic range, a person can only hear what is "sung" at low frequencies.

In winter, some bats migrate to warmer regions, and some hibernate during the winter.

Conservation status of the bat

All European species bats are protected by many international conventions, including the Berne Convention (protection of European animals) and the Bonn Convention (protection of migratory animals). In addition, all of them are listed in the IUCN International Red Book. Some of the species are considered endangered, and some are vulnerable, requiring constant monitoring. Russia has signed all international agreements for the protection of these animals. All types of bats are also protected by domestic legislation. Some of them are included in the Red Book. According to the law, not only the bats themselves, but also their habitats, primarily shelters, are subject to protection. That is why, neither the sanitary supervision nor the veterinary authorities simply have the right to take any measures in relation to the found settlements of bats in the city, and also, by law, a person has no right to destroy the habitats of mouse colonies and the mice themselves.

Interesting Bat Facts

1. There is an international night of bats. This holiday is celebrated on September 21, in order to draw attention to the problems of the survival of these animals. In Russia, this environmental holiday has been celebrated since 2003.

2. In one hour, a bat can eat up to 600 mosquitoes, which, in terms of the weight of a person, will equal about 20 pizzas.

3. Bats are not obese.

4. Bats sing songs at high frequencies.

The message about bats can be used in preparation for the lesson. A report about bats for children can be supplemented with interesting facts.

A story about bats for children

A bat is a mammal that belongs to the order Chiroptera. Bats are the only mammals on Earth that can fly.

Description of the bat

Bats are small animals, 4 to 16 cm long.

In terms of size and structure of the head and body, the bat is similar to the common mouse, but it also has many features. The nose of the animal is blunt, flat with very noticeable nostrils. The eyes are small. The ears are big. Bat wings without feathers. It is a thin, translucent membrane. The tiniest bumblebee bat lives in Thailand and has a wingspan of 160mm; its body length is about 33 mm, and its weight is about 2 g. The largest bat lives in Malaysia, it has a wingspan of 170 cm.
These animals have another original organ: nature has awarded them with an ultrasonic echo sounder. Probably, as compensation for poor eyesight: both day and night.

Where do bats live?

Bats are distributed throughout the world, except for Antarctica, the Arctic and some oceanic islands. These animals are most numerous and diverse in the tropics and subtropics.

Bats are nocturnal or crepuscular animals. During the day, they sleep, either hanging upside down, or hiding in cracks in trees, rocks, or in cracks in buildings.

What do bats eat?

Most feed on insects, but large bats (for example, a giant evening) can eat birds, lizards, frogs, a few - fish, bats are known to prey on other types of bats. In South America, there are three types of bats (vampires) that feed on the blood of vertebrates - birds and mammals. Some species are vegetarians: they feed, like fruit bats, on fruits, berries, nectar, pollen, nuts (for example, leaf-nosed).

An insectivorous bat can eat up to 200 mosquitoes in an hour of hunting.

Basically it is a variety of insects. Some large individuals eat fruits. Some species feed on fish. And the vampire bat from Central and South America bites other animals and feeds on the blood that flows from the wound. All bats are good hunters and can detect the smallest sounds and the smallest movements.

Types and names of bats

There are about 1000 various kinds bats, and it is not surprising that their eating habits can vary. What does a bat eat? Most of these animals eat insects and are called insectivores. These bats are especially fond of eating mosquitoes, beetles, and moths. And they eat them huge number. For example, one small brown bat can eat over 1200 mosquitoes in just one hour. This is a species characterized by a small body size. The average weight is approximately 14 grams, and the length reaches 8-9 cm.

The Indiana is a medium-sized bat that can range in coloration from brown to gray or black. They reach 2.5-5 cm in length in adulthood. The weight is about 7 grams. Egyptian fruit bat (bat) is an animal that is a smaller variety and is about 15 cm long. However, they have a large wingspan that can reach two meters. They weigh at least 230 grams.

Giant golden crowned flying fox- This is a rather rare species, which is distinguished by very long wings. Another a rare species is a kitty. Its uniqueness lies in the way the bat looks. Her upturned nose resembles a pig's nose in her appearance and shape, in addition, because of her tiny size, she was given the nickname bumblebee.

Vegetarians

Fruit bats are often referred to as flying foxes due to their resemblance to red foxes. They live in tropical forests and do not spend much time in dark caves like many other species. Instead, they can be found hanging from fruit-bearing banana and mango trees. Daily Activity animal is mainly in search of food.

Their eating habits are good for the environment as they pollinate plants in parallel. Their favorite treats are figs, mangoes, dates and bananas. Fruit representatives of bats feed on fruits, seeds and nectar and are the largest representatives of their family.

Vampire Bats

There are bats that eat birds, fish, frogs, lizards and even other bats. There are even species that drink blood. They are called vampire bats. There are only 3 species of them, and they all live in Central and South America. People should not worry about this - vampire bats do not like to drink human blood.

They mainly prefer the blood of cows, sheep and horses. Vampire bats bite animals while they are sleeping and lick up droplets that come through. To saturate one individual, you need about 2 teaspoons per day. Thus, a cow or a sheep often does not even have time to wake up, and the bat is already full. This enchanting creature has been associated with numerous legends over the centuries. This special kind The bat has a short snout instead of the standard conical one.

Structural features

Bats, which can vary in size depending on the species, have roughly the same body structure. They have well developed hearing. They use it to find food and take care of their young. For species that eat insects and fish, large ears help with echolocation. As a rule, such echoes are received by funnel-shaped ears, which are directed forward.

The sense of smell is also well developed and is used to find and identify certain foods. Fruit bats can find their food by the smell of ripe fruits. Bats are not blind, for example the flying fox has very good eyesight and uses its eyes along with its superior sense of smell to find food in the dark. In general, these bats see better in the dark. Most species see everything around in black and white, but some frugivorous representatives have color vision.

Paws with powerful claws help animals hang upside down on their perches, as well as catch and hold fish. Bats fly with their arms and wings, and they can also crawl up trees by moving a membrane between their body and fifth toe. It's called an "elevator".

This mammal is covered with wool, which protects the body from the cold, and various options colors can serve as camouflage if you need to hide from danger. Mice keep their hair clean by regularly licking it, something similar is done by a cat.

A predator can also become a victim, or Who eats bats

Surprisingly, despite the fact that bats look quite intimidating, they themselves can become prey to a number of predators. Hawks and owls regularly kill and eat these little monsters. snakes and predatory mammals(ermines, minks, weasels and raccoons) climb into shelters and attack defenseless sleeping bats.

There are many different predators in the world that can create problems for bats. The danger to small species of bats is tarantulas. Even the little birds that fly into caves and can peck bats to death can be cruel. Then the birds pull them out and finish eating.

Myths and misconceptions

  1. "All bats carry disease." In fact, less than 0.5% of the total carry the rabies virus. In addition, rabid bats are rarely aggressive. For example, only 40 cases of rabies infection from bats have been identified in the United States over the past 40 years.
  2. "Bats get tangled in people's hair." Although bats can sometimes fly very close, especially when catching insects, they do not get stuck in people's hair, as thanks to their ability to echolocate, they can easily avoid such a large obstacle as a person.
  3. Bats drink human blood. The most famous are vampire mice. These amazing creatures have been found in Mexico, Central and South America. What does a vampire bat eat? It feeds on the blood of warm-blooded animals such as birds, horses, and cattle. In the process of eating food, saliva containing an anesthetic is released, which reduces the likelihood that the animal will feel something. In general, these little bloodsuckers rarely do much harm.
  4. "Bats are blind." Although most species cannot distinguish colors, they can see at night using echolocation.

Bats are the only flying mammals that belong to the order of bats and are mainly nocturnal. Most females produce only one offspring per year. The gestation period lasts only a few weeks. Babies develop very rapidly and most can learn to fly within two to five weeks of birth.

They live relatively long, up to 30 years, which is not typical for small mammals. What a bat eats depends mainly on its species. Carnivores feed on insects, fish, and even other bats, while vegetarians prefer plant pollen and fruits.