15 Fascinating Facts About Bats

15 Fascinating Facts About Bats

A mythical creature takes flight in the moonlit region of the night sky, grabbing our imagination and defying our comprehension. Welcome to the enthralling world of bats, where these mysterious creatures reign supreme. Bats have long attracted and enthralled people with their leathery wings, sonar-like echolocation, and enigmatic nocturnal ways.

They are the only mammals that can fly for an extended period of time, defying gravity with ethereal grace. Bats captivate us, from their haunting silhouette against a dusky background to their critical ecological responsibilities as pollinators and bug controllers.

Join us on a twilight trip as we dig into the mesmerizing universe of these misunderstood birds and reveal the secrets they carry, generating awe and amazement with each flap of their wings. 

1. The delicate skeletons of bats do not fossilise well

Big-eared-townsend-fledermaus.jpg PD-USGov, exact author unknown, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It is believed that just 12% of all bat genera have been discovered in the fossil record. Most of the oldest known bat fossils, such as Archaeopteropus (32 million years ago), were already highly similar to current microbats. The extinct bats Palaeochiropteryx tupaiodon (48 million years ago) and Hassianycteris kumari (48 million years ago) was the first to be discovered with colouration: both were reddish-brown.

Bats were previously classified as part of the superorder Archonta, along with treeshrews (Scandentia), colugos (Dermoptera), and primates. Modern genomic data now places bats in the superorder Laurasiatheria, with carnivorans, pangolins, odd-toed ungulates, even-toed ungulates, and cetaceans as its sister taxon. According to one study, Chiroptera is related to odd-toed ungulates (Perissodactyla).

2. Bats are placental mammals

Placental mammals are one of three extant subclasses of Mammalia, the other two being Monotremata and Marsupialia. The great majority of extant mammals are classified as placental, which differs from monotremes and marsupials in that the fetus is carried in the uterus of its mother until a very late period of development. Bats are the second biggest order after rodents, accounting for around 20% of mammal species.

3. There are over 1300 species of bats

Wikipedia-Bats-001-v01.jpg MathKnight, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

With over 1,300 identified species, bats are a hugely diversified group of mammals. With the exception of the harshest desert and polar locations, they are all over the world and belong to the order Chiroptera. From their ability to fly to their variety of diets and habitats, bats have extraordinary adaptations.

They can be classified as either insect-eating (insectivorous) species, fruit-eating (frugivorous) species, nectar-eating (nectarivorous) species, or even fish-eating (piscivorous) species, and they can exist in a range of ecological niches.

From small bumblebee bats that weigh only a few grams to flying foxes with wingspans that exceed a meter, bats come in a variety of sizes. This vast species diversity exemplifies the bats’ global ecological significance and evolutionary advancement.

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4. The head and teeth shape of bats can vary by species

Megabats are known as “flying foxes” because of their characteristically longer snouts, larger eye sockets, and smaller ears that give them a more canine-like appearance. Longer snouts are linked to nectar feeding in microbats. Vampire bats, on the other hand, have smaller snouts to fit their massive canines and incisors.

Small insectivorous bats have up to 38 teeth, but vampire bats only have 20. Compared to species of bats that dine on softer-bodied insects, hard-shelled insect-eating bats have fewer, bigger teeth with longer canines and more strong lower jaws.

The cheek teeth are smaller and the canines are longer in nectar-eating bats. The cheek teeth’s cusps in fruit-eating bats are designed for crushing. Vampire bats’ top incisors don’t have enamel, which maintains them sharp.

Small bats’ bite force is produced through mechanical advantage, enabling them to pierce the skin of the fruit or the solid armour of insects.

5. Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight

Little Brown Myotis.png SMBishop, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Bats have distinct characteristics that allow them to fly for extended periods of time, distinguishing them from other flying mammals. Because of their flattened cross-sections and reduced calcium levels, their finger bones are extraordinarily flexible, allowing for wing movement.

Genetic changes involving bone morphogenetic proteins (Bmps) result in extended digits, which are required for wing development. Bats have five extended digits that radiate from the wrist, with the thumb holding the leading edge and the others supporting wing membrane tension.

Their wings are narrower and have more bones than birds’ wings, allowing for more manoeuvrability and lift. Wing folding saves energy during the upstroke, and touch-sensitive sensors on the wing’s surface aid in airflow detection.

The patagium, or wing membrane, is formed of connective tissue, muscles, and blood vessels that hold the wing taut during flight. However, unlike birds, bats cannot shorten their wingspans, restricting their ability to travel large distances. Nectar and pollen-eating bats can also hover by producing vortices with their wing edges.

6. Bats rest by hanging upside down from their feet

When they are not flying, bats roost or hang upside down from their feet. The femurs are linked to the hips in such a way that they can flex outward and upward during flight. The ankle joint can flex, allowing the wings’ trailing edge to fold downwards. Other than hanging or clambering up trees, this does not allow for many moves.

Most megabats sleep with their heads tucked under their bellies, whereas most microbats sleep with their neck curled towards the rear. This distinction is evident in the structure of the cervical or neck vertebrae, which are distinctly unique in the two populations.

Tendons help bats to close their feet when suspended from a roost. Muscular strength is required to release go, but not to grasp a perch or to stay on.

7. Different species of bats have varying digestive systems

Bat 01.jpg Paramanu Sarkar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The digestive system of bats has different adaptations based on the species and nutrition of the bat. To meet the energy demands, food is metabolized fast and efficiently, like in other flying animals. Insectivorous bats may contain digestive enzymes that help them consume insects better, such as chitinase, which breaks down chitin, which is a major component of insects.

Vampire bats are the only vertebrates that lack the enzyme maltase, which breaks down malt sugar, in their digestive tract, most likely due to their blood diet. To deal with their greater sugar intake, nocturnal and frugivorous bats have more maltase and sucrase enzymes than insectivorous bats.

8. Bats are used as food by some races of people

In some North American, Asian, African, and Pacific Rim nations and civilizations, such as the United States, China, Vietnam, Seychelles, the Philippines, Indonesia, Palau, Thailand, and Guam, people consume bats as food or bat food. Only 8% of insectivorous bat species are pursued for food, compared to 50% of all megabat (fruit bat) species. Guam considers Mariana fruit bats (Pteropus mariannus) to be a delicacy.

In the Asia-Pacific region, ats have probably been used as a food source since prehistoric times. According to chronostratigraphic analyses of archaeological sites, Homo floresiensis may have used bats as a food source as early as 74,000 years ago.

Large fruit bat hunting was profitable for prehistoric hominins on tropical islands. Large populations of these megabats could be quickly and cheaply caught in caves, and processing work was similarly modest.

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9. Microbats and a few megabats emit ultrasonic sounds to produce echoes

The subglottic pressure determines how loud these echoes are. An essential role is the modulation of the orientation pulse frequency in bats by the cricothyroid muscle. The only tensor muscle that can help in phonation is this one, which is found inside the larynx. Bats may learn about their surroundings by comparing the pulse that leaves their ears to the echoes that come back.

This makes it possible for them to find prey at night. Some bat sounds have been measured at 140 dB. Microbats transmit echolocation signals through their mouth or nose using their larynx.

Microbat sounds have a frequency range much beyond the range of human hearing, from 14,000 to well over 100,000 Hz. Numerous bat species have developed nose leaves, which are fleshy extensions that surround and sit above the nostrils and aid in the transmission of sound.

Bats can distinguish between their cries and the echoes they get while using low-duty cycle echolocation. They have to time the end of their brief calls so that echoes don’t come back. The bat can determine the distance to its prey by estimating the delay of the returning echoes.

Bats use the Doppler effect of their motion while flying to distinguish pulse and echo in frequency while using high-duty cycle echolocation. Information on the movement and location of the bat’s prey can be gleaned from the shifting of the returning echoes.

10. Bats have poor visual acuity

California leaf-nosed bat.jpg the National Wildlife Service source, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Although most microbat species have small, inadequately developed eyes that result in poor visual acuity, no species is completely blind. The majority of microbats have mesopic vision, which means they can only see in dim light, whereas other mammals have a photopic vision, which enables them to see in colour.

As echolocation is only useful over short distances, microbats may use their vision for navigation while moving between their roosting areas and feeding grounds. Some species have UV (ultraviolet) sensitivity. Some microbats may be able to distinguish between colours since their bodies have distinctive pigmentation.

Many megabat species have a vision that is on par with or superior to that of humans. Their eyesight has some colour vision and is adaptable for both day and night vision.

11. Microbats make use of magnetoreception to measure Earth’s magnetic field

An organism may perceive the magnetic field of the Earth thanks to the sense known as magnetoreception. Some arthropods, molluscs, and vertebrates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, but not humans) have this sense.

Microbats use magnetoreception because, like birds, they are highly sensitive to the Earth’s magnetic field. In contrast to birds, who utilize the intensity of the magnetic field to distinguish latitudes, which may be employed for long-distance travel, microbats use a polarity-based compass, which allows them to distinguish between north and south. Although the mechanism is uncertain, magnetite particles might be involved.

12. Most bats are homeothermic

Bats in Nitmiluk National Park, Northern Territory, Australia (2).jpg Lance Vanlewen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Homeothermy is a type of thermoregulation where the body keeps its internal temperature steady regardless of external factors. Although not always, this internal body temperature is typically higher than the near surroundings. One of the three kinds of thermoregulation found in warm-blooded animal species is homeothermy.

The vesper bats (Vespertilionidae), horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae), free-tailed bats (Molossidae), and bent-winged bats (Miniopteridae) are the only bat species that use heterothermy (where body temperature can vary) extensively.

Bats have a higher thermal conductivity than other mammals. When expanded, the wings’ blood vessels cause a loss of body heat. When at rest, they can enclose themselves in their own wings to keep warm air inside. Smaller bats often have higher metabolic rates than larger bats, which means they need to eat more to stay warm.

Due to their dark wing membranes’ ability to absorb solar radiation, bats may refrain from flying during the day to avoid overheating. If the temperature is too high, bats may not be able to release heat; in these cases, they use saliva to keep themselves cool.

13. Bats use torpor to conserve energy

Since bats spend a lot of energy when active, rely on an unstable food source, and have a limited capacity to store fat, torpor, a condition of decreased activity where the body temperature and metabolism fall, is particularly advantageous for them.

They typically reduce their body temperature in this stage to 6–30 °C and may use 50–99% less energy. By minimizing the amount of time spent foraging and lowering the likelihood of being caught by a predator, tropical bats may use it to avoid predation.

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14. Bats are subject to predation

Bat 03.jpg Paramanu Sarkar, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Birds of prey like owls, hawks, and falcons, as well as terrestrial predators with climbing abilities like cats, prey on bats at their roosts. Crocodiles may easily catch low-flying bats. Twenty different tropical New World snake species have been observed catching bats, frequently by waiting at the mouths of caves or other havens for them to fly by.

According to J. Rydell and J. R. Speakman, nocturnality was a survival strategy for bats during the early and middle Eocene. Some zoologists believe the available evidence to be inconclusive thus far.

15. Some bats lead solitary lives, while others live in colonies of more than a million

HABITAT COLONY OF BATS IN JOS MESEUM 1.jpg Yusufdavid, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

While some bats live alone, others are found in colonies that number in the millions. For instance, a mouse-eared bat lives almost entirely alone, whereas the Mexican free-tailed bat travels more than a thousand miles every March through October to the 30 m wide cave known as Bracken Cave, which is home to an astounding twenty million of the species.

Predation risk is reduced for individuals that live in huge colonies. As autumn approaches, certain temperate bat species may congregate at hibernation places. This may be used to introduce young to places where animals hibernate, signal adult reproduction, and enable adults to breed with animals from other groups.

The Spectral Bat, Hoary Bat, Eastern Red Bat, Egyptian Fruit Bat, and Brazilian Free-tailed Bat are just a few of the bat species that exhibit solitary behaviour.

They search for prey on their own and spend the night alone in a variety of environments, including trees, caves, and buildings. Even though they often prefer to be alone, they occasionally socialize during mating or when there aren’t many places to roost.

In conclusion, bats surpass their mammalian predecessors’ limits to become the remarkable masters of the night sky. Bats have mastered sustained flight, with over 1,300 species showing a stunning array of adaptations.

They are truly evolutionary marvels because of their adaptable wings, sophisticated sensing systems, and quick movements. They remind us of the endless possibilities nature contains and encourage us to explore the uncharted with wonder as they make their way through the night.

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