Mammals of the Night: Unveiling the Secrets of Bats 🦇

Bats are awesome. I mean, look at this face, what’s not to love?

Apparently, many people think that there’s a lot not to love, but that’s just batty! Hopefully, by the end of this episode, you’ll be able to appreciate bats even just a little bat more.

Bats are the only mammal in the world capable of true, sustained flight. Yes, I hear you murmuring amongst yourselves on the other side of the screen, “What about flying squirrels?”

But really, flying squirrels are just gliders. Remember in retro *Spyro* how the only way you could truly make him fly was in the special flying levels or with a power-up (or by hacking that one pond and swimming in the air, oh yeah!).

Well, flying squirrels are kind of like the retro *Spyro*, and bats are like *Spyro* from the special flight levels or with the power-up. Hopefully, my age isn’t showing, and that didn’t go over a lot of people’s heads.

Okay, if you’re not already, sit down for this one: there are considered to be more than 1,000 species of bats in the world.

Let that number sink in as I tell you there are just over 5,000 different species of mammals in the world, which bats are— for those of you thinking they’re some weird beak-less, furry bird.

Yes, you’re hearing those numbers correctly. When you get down to more specific values, bats make up nearly ¼ of the individual species of mammals on the planet.

That’s a lot of bats!

And yet, most of us are lucky to barely catch a glimpse as they zoom by in their nightly foraging.

So what gives?

Well, a lot of it does deal with the fact that bats are nocturnal.

You’re less likely to see something when your eyes are closed and you’re asleep… unless you’re into that astral projection stuff.

They’re also not always out all year round. When temperatures get too cold for little bat bodies, they take to migrating to warmer areas or entering a form of hibernation-like sleep called torpor.

This is significant to note because large populations of bats across North America are being affected by what is called “white nose syndrome.”

Bats in torpor can survive even after being turned into batsicles, but white nose syndrome absolutely ruins them.

What happens is that a fungus coats the nose and ears of a bat and basically irritates it so much during its long sleep that it wakes up. Insects, which are typically a bat’s main source of food, are scarce or non-existent during colder months, so the bat has no way to sustain itself and dies.

And while not all bats are as susceptible to this fungus and are capable of living through the colder months while under infection, due to their colonization nature, it makes it easier to spread and affect more bats. It’s because of this that many bat species are considered vulnerable or endangered. The best thing you can do to help bats and alleviate the spread is by not wandering into caves where bats may be resting, as we can be carriers of the fungus.

Speaking of caves, a vast majority of bats live in caves in groups called colonies that can number in the millions! They can also be found in trees, hollows, abandoned buildings, and even some not-so-abandoned buildings.

Actually, it is pretty widely assumed that just having a bat flying over an individual’s head can spread rabies, but there’s never been a documented case of this.

Really, if you find a bat in your house, you can usually just open the windows and doors, and it’ll find its own way out. If a colony has taken up residence… well, at least you’ll have fewer mosquitoes??

Most bats eat insects, though some eat fruit, nectar, small animals like lizards and frogs, fish, and yes, of course, some drink blood.

Now, here’s something you might find interesting—if not, oh well, I’m gonna tell ya anyway: only three species of bats are considered “vampire bats,” and they all live in Central and South America.

They’re the only mammals in the world that subsist entirely on blood, and the way they obtain it is by creating a very small incision in another mammal and lapping up the liquid.

In fact, the legend of vampires predates the discovery of vampire bats, so they acquired the name because of the legend and not the other way around.

In general, bats can be found nearly anywhere in the world, with the exceptions of some islands, deserts, and icy landscaped areas.

They usually have one pup per litter, but different species can have more. And although they’re small like rodents (who they are not in any way related to), they can live more than 30 decades.

The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat, which weighs about 0.07 ounces (2 grams) on average and is about 1.25 inches long (3.18 cm). The largest bat, and my personal favorite, is the flying fox, which has a wingspan that can reach up to six feet (1.83 meters) and weighs more than two pounds (0.91 kilograms).

What’s your favorite bat species?

There’s a lot more information on bats if you want to follow the links in the description. Be sure to tell us if you have a favorite animal you’d like to see covered on the show! Thank you very much for watching, and remember, you’d be batty not to like this article!bat