Our world has some pretty kooky creatures in it and one of the most unique has to be bats. Bats are an exceptionally varied and fascinating group of mammals, with over 1,400 species found worldwide. We’ve curated 25 of the most fascinating facts about bats in the gallery below, take a peek and let us know your thoughts on this story in the comments section on social media.
-Bats are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight.
-The world’s smallest bat is the Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, which only grows between 29–34 millimetres in length.
-The world’s largest bat is the giant golden-crowned flying fox, which has a wing span up to 5 ft 7 inches.
-Bats are the second largest mammal order after rodents.
-Bats make up 20% of all mammal species.
-There are over 1,400 species of bats.
-Bats are divided into two suborders: fruit eating megabats and ecolocating microbats.
-Megabats can be found in tropical and subtropical areas in Eurasia, Africa and Oceania.
-There are 197 species of megabats.
-Megabats are known for their dog-like faces and clawed second digits.
-Microbats are 4 to 16 cm in length.
-Most microbats hunt insects, but some consume birds, lizards, frogs, smaller bats and fish.
-There are only three species of bats who feed on the blood of larger mammals and birds.
-Vampire bats are native to Central and South America.
-Microbats use echolocation to form images in their surrounding area.
-Most bats are nocturnal.
-Bats help the environment by pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds.
-Bats are relied upon by humans to consume insect pests.
-Bats can live for over 30 years.
-Most bats can fly up to 60 miles per hour.
-The Mexican free-tailed bat can reach speeds of up to 100 miles per hour.
-During echolocation, microbats emit 10-20 beeps per second.
-Bats can eat up to 1,200 mosquitos in an hour.
-Bats can only have one baby a year and baby bats are called pups.
-Texas has the world’s largest bat colony, The Bracken Bat Cave.
