Bats are the only mammals that are able to fly. Their extremely long fingers are connected with a membrane creating a wing. The smallest bat has a body that is about 1 inch long and the largest bat has wings that span 6 feet.
There are over 1,000 species of bats, and they can be found worldwide. There are so many bats they make up ¼ of all the mammals on earth. They can be found in every biome except for the polar regions and extreme desserts. They are a long-living mammal, and some bats can live to be thirty years old.
Bats live in caves, buildings, trees and the crevices of rocks. They fly at night and use echolocation to find food and travel safely. They send out sounds that bounce off objects and travel back to them. They can tell the size of the object and how far away it's located.
A baby bat is called a pup, and the mother bat usually only has one baby at a time. The pups are born and cared for in colonies where the female bats gather together. The male bats do not participate in caring for the pups.
Bats are extremely important to the ecosystem. 70% of all bats eat millions of insects each night. Bats feed on fruit, nectar, fish, small birds, lizards, frog and other bats. The are even two species of vampire bats. They live in South America and feed on blood.
The greatest threat to bats are people. Many people fear bats and try to destroy them. Since bats play a huge role in keeping the insect population under control, it is very important they are protected.
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