Bats weigh from 1/2 of an ounce to 3 pounds. Adults are usually from 3 to 6 inches long. Their wingspan is from 6 to 78 inches long. It depends on the type or species of bat.
Bats have a brown body and black wings. Because bats are mammals, they have fur, not feathers.
They have wings which are very long fingers covered by skin.
Bats can see and some have excellent vision.
Bats are found almost everywhere on earth, except in extremely hot deserts and the cold polar regions.
Bats live in trees, caves, buildings, and bridges.
Bats do not build nests.
Bats eat fruit, flowers and insects. Some bats eat fish. They drink a lot of water.
To sleep, bats look for protected areas where they can just hang upside down and sleep. Bats may sleep 20 hours a day.
Brown bats hibernate (sleep for many days) when it is cold. Their heart beat gets very slow when they hibernate to save their energy.
Bats fly to move around. They fly because their wings are strong but their feet are weak.
Bats spend a lot of time grooming themselves. A bat hangs by one foot and uses its teeth and other foot to clean its fur and wings.
Hawks, owls, mice, skunks, foxes and snakes eat bats.
There are 1,000 different kinds of bats.
Bats are not blind.
Very few bats have rabies.
Bats are not flying mice.
Bats are the only mammal that can fly.
Bats are shy and are afraid of people. They are also gentle.
| Bat Videos - The videos takes a minute to load. Click on the link below and write down 3 questions you have about your animal while it loads. |
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| To cite this page as a resource: |
| Bats, www.slpschools.org/aq, . |
Bats, http://members.aol.com/bats4kids/index.htm, 5-2-2002.
For information, contact John Dyer, Media Specialist, Aquila Primary Center. |
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