bats

Fast Facts

Common Name: bats

Class: Mammalia

Order: Chiroptera (hand wing)

Family: 18 families in 2 suborders Megachiroptera, Microchiroptera

Genus species: 180 genera, 900 species

Wingspan: largest- flying foxes 2 meters (78.74 in.); smallest- bumblebee bat 16 cm (6.24 in.)

Weight: 14g to 1.5 kg (0.5 oz. - 3.3 lb.)

Life span: 4 to 30 years depending on the species

Sexual maturity: unknown for most species; those known range from 6 months to 2 years

Gestation: 1.5 to 9 months depending on the species

Habitat: rain forests of South America, Africa, Southeast Asia to hot arid deserts of Sahara, Middle East and Southwest United States. All continents except for Antarctica

Diet: fruits, flowers, leaves, insects, frogs, fish, small mammals, reptiles, blood of vertebrates

Status: some species endangered; some CITES I or II; some not listed. In the United States nearly 40% of our bat species are listed by USFWS as endangered species or are candidates for it.

Fun Facts

1. Bats are the only flying mammals and comprise the second largest order of mammals in the world.

2. A bat's grasp is strong enough to hold its entire body weight while its body hangs upside down.

3. Along with whales, dolphins, and some shrew species many bats use echolocation (sonar dependent on pulse sounds and echoes) to identify and track prey.

4. Just one insectivorous bat can eat 600 or more mosquitoes in a single hour.

Ecology and Conservation

Fruit and nectar-eating bats are among the most important seed dispersers and pollinators of tropical rain forest trees and plants. Many economically important crops such as bananas, avocados, vanilla, and peaches are dependent upon bats for pollination. Bats are valuable subjects for scientific and medical studies. Insectivorous bats are essential in controlling mosquito populations. Bat guano is a rich source of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) which is used in the production of gun powder and explosives and is an excellent fertilizer.

Bibliography

Fenton, Brock. Bats. New York: Facts on File, 1992.

Gotch, A.F. Mammals- Their Latin Names Explained- A Guide to Animal Classification. Poole, United Kingdom: Blanford Press, 1979.

Hill, John E., and James D. Smith Bats- A Natural History. Austin, Texas: University of Texas Press, 1984.

Parker, Sybil P. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. II, New York: Mc-Graw-Hill, 1990.

Tuttle, Merlin. "They Carry the Seeds that Make the Rain Forests Grow and the Deserts Bloom." Bat Conservation International, Austin, 1990.

Last Update 9/96

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