Bats, those creatures of the night! Relentlessly, literature, movies, and cultures
stigmatize these weird-looking, mostly nocturnal mammals. For example, Dracula
transforms into a bat. Some Native Americans label them trickster spirits.
Nevertheless, in China, they symbolize happiness.
Meet
the real bats! After rodents, they are the second largest order of mammals.
Species number around 1,000; Florida claims 13 native species. Reproduction
cycles are controlled by the female to coincide with food availability. Mostly,
a female yields one pup yearly. Adult size varies from that of a bumblebee to a
Canadian goose, wing to wing. Lifespan exceeds 30 years. Except for colder
regions like the Arctic, bats dwell worldwide.
Some
bats are solitary. However, thousands colonize and hang upside down by clawed
toes from cave ceilings and walls to roost (rest) during the day, safe from
predators. (Bracken Cave in Texas—an estimated 20 million.) Spectacular are
evening mass exits! Caves are also utilized for hibernation. With habitats
disappearing, some bats are roosting in abandoned mines.
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| Bat drawing by Hailey Scalia, age 8 |
The
only mammals capable of true flight are bats. Some fly 40 miles per hour and
cover 50 miles nightly. Dives are spectacular! Many migrate from Canada to
Mexico. Bat wings are thinner than bird wings—better maneuverability. These
membranous wings have arms, long fingers, and little thumbs. Regrowth of
membrane repairs tears.
Most
bats are insectivores. One bat may consume hundreds of insects in one hour.
Others may ingest pollen, nectar, fish, blood, and even other bats. Younglings
nurse on milk. Sharp teeth facilitate insect and fruit penetration.
Tube-lipped nectar bats display the longest tongues of mammals, relative to
size. After deep-flower probing, such a tongue coils up inside the rib
cage.
Vampire bats are native to Latin America. The
common species lick (do not suck) blood from sleeping mammals like cattle and
occasionally humans. Only a tablespoon is drawn. Bat saliva contains Draculin,
the anticoagulant named after Dracula, to keep the victim’s blood from
clotting. Fortunately, less than 1% of bats carry rabies.
The
ultrasonic shrieks of nocturnal bats (typically not audible to humans) echo off
objects. Unique ears and noses assist in echo interpretation to locate prey and
navigate—echolocation, natural radar.
Blind as a bat? Bats dart at night, seemingly
blind. However, they can see, night or day. Vision varies from poor to
excellent. And bats do not entangle in hair—they dive towards insects
surrounding people’s heads.
Let
us go to bat for bats! They control insects. They pollinate. Guano (feces) is
a great fertilizer—also used for gunpowder during the Civil War. Furthermore,
bats are vital for hibernation, sonar, and blood-clotting research. Beneficial
creatures!
