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1. Where in the world do they live?
Bats can be found in almost every part of the world except where it is very, very hot or in thereally cold areas and on some remote islands.  They live on all continents except Antarctica. You can find more species of bats (different kinds) where the weather is nice and warm.  Those warm spots are near the equator and are called the "tropics" and "rain forests."

On islands that are far from continents, there are only a few species of bats.  That's because it's too far for most bats to fly this great distance to reach those islands.

In the United States, the greatest number of bat species live in the southwestern part of the country.  This area has a variety of places where bats can live and there is a lot of food available during most of the year .  For example, Texas has 32 different kinds of bats while Maine has only 8; and Arizona has 28 species, but Michigan has just 10.

Do you know how many different kinds of bats live in your part of the world? Do you know what they are? Check with your library to find the answers to
these questions.
 

2. What kind of homes do they have?

Many bats find trees to be the perfect place to roost and spend time taking care of their babies. Some bats actually live under big leaves and by using camouflage they can hide from harm and danger.  There are other bats that roost under the bark of trees, while  still others just hang from the branches
Perhaps the place where most people think bats live is in caves.  And a lot of bats do find these big underground caverns a perfect place in which to raise their babies and to sleep during the day.  Bracken Cave in Texas has close to 20 million Mexican Free Tail bats living there.
 

 At  times bats may use houses or buildings as a roosting site.  Even though these places are not as good as their natural habitats, these  man-made structures do offer them protection and are much like their preferred roosts.
 Wherever there is a bridge, there might also be bats living under it.   Even the noise of a busy road overhead doesn't seem to scare them.  As the sun sets, they begin their night flight out to look for food.  It's a beautiful sight to see.  Some bats may find old mines that are no longer being  used and set up their colony there.  People often like to explore these mines and when they do, they disturb the bats. Putting a heavy grate at the mine opening protects the bats.  Not all mines are good  for bats.  They must be like the caves in which bats also live.

There is another type of home in which bats will live,  but often other animals or insects will get in it first before the bats can .  These are bat houses that many people build hoping bats will move in.

 3. What kinds of food do they eat?
 The nearly 1,000 different kinds of bats in the world eat a variety of foods, and sometimes, while doing so, help humans.
 Fruit-eating bats prefer ripe .  As they fly they drop seeds  which can grow into new trees.
 Bats that like to eat  pick up pollen.By going from flower to flower,  bats help make new plants.  eating bats use vision, echolocation and sounds from their prey to help locate their food.
  Fishing bats grab little out of the water with their claws. Echolocation is used to find this food.
  Most vampire bats drink the of birds.  One kind of vampire bat also drinks the blood of other mammals like cattle.  The study of this bat's saliva may someday help humans with heart  problems.

                            70 Percent of bats eat .  The Little Brown Bat can eat up to
                           1,200 night flying insects in just one hour.This helps all of us.

4. What do bats really look like?

A  BAT'S  BODY  DOES  MANY THINGS THAT  HELP  IT  LIVE.
 

EARS:   Bats have very good hearing.  They use it for finding food and locating their babies.  For insect and fish eaters, the big ears help with echolocation.   Usually, echoes are received by funnel-shaped ears that face forward.

NOSE:   The sense of smell is well developed in most bats.  It is used to find and identify certain foods and to recognize roost mates and young.  Fruit eating bats can find their food by the smell of the ripening fruit.   Nectar seeking bats
gather pollen on their snout, and by going from flower to flower help create new plants.

EYES: Bats are not blind!  For example, flying fox bats have very good eyesight and they use their eyes along with their excellent sense of smell to help find food in the dark.  Bats' eyes are better at seeing in the dark.   Most see objects
only in black and white, but color vision is known to exist in some old world fruit bats.

FEET:  With their strong claws, bats are able to hang upside down in their roosts. Fishing bats also use their claws to scoop up the fish they will eat.

HANDS AND WINGS:  Bats fly by using their hands and wings. While the wings are flapping, bats can go up or down by moving the membrane between the body and fifth finger.  This is called "lift."  Bats move forward (called "thrust") by changing the shape of the membrane between the second and fifth fingers.
 

FUR ON THEIR BODY: You can tell that a bat is a mammal because it has fur or hair on it's body. The fur protects the bat because different colors and designs can serve as camouflage and they can hide from danger.  The fur is kept clean by regular licking, somewhat like what a cat does.   In the winter it helps keep the bat warm.

5. What are the myths about bats?
 
 DON'T YOU BELIEVE IT!

 The greatest harm to bats is not knowing anything about them , and this creates:
FEARS
DISLIKES
DESTRUCTION
AND POSSIBLE EXTINCTION OF BATS
   This is caused by MYTHS or untrue stories! SO, LET'S       STAMP OUT MYTHS!
\

  ARE BATS BLIND?
                                                          NO!
 No, bats are not blind and many can see very well.  Insect-eating bats depend on sound and very good hearing to find food and to get around in the dark.  So don't say, "...as blind as a bat" because it is not true!

 
 DO BATS GET CAUGHT IN YOUR HAIR?
                                                           NO!

If bats can find tiny insects in total darkness, would they get tangled up in your hair?  No!  They are much too smart to fly into people.
 BATS ARE FLYING MICE, RIGHT?
                                                           NO!

  While both bats and mice are mammals, bats are not rodents and are more closely related to primates and people.  Besides...mice can't fly!
 

  ARE BATS DIRTY AND DO THEY ALL CARRY RABIES?
                                                         NO!
 
   Bats are very clean and groom themselves just like cats.  Bats can get rabies, like all mammals, but few ever do.  Remember, bats are wild animals.  You have nothing to fear if you never touch a bat.

 OTHER MAMMALS CAN FLY LIKE BATS, RIGHT?
                                                          NO!

Some mammals, like the flying squirrels can glide, but bats are the only mammals that can really fly.  There are many different ways bats fly. Some can hover like hummingbirds while feeding on nectar, and a few flying foxes can soar in the air like eagles.

 BATS ARE WORTHLESS ANIMALS.
                                                          NO!
  Bats are very, very helpful!  They help control the insect population, reseed cut forests, and pollinate plants that provide food for humans.
   Bats also taught us about sonar. Bacteria in their guano is useful in improving soaps, making gasohol and producing antibiotics, besides being a fertilizer.
 

Here is information that is true, not a myth.  Bats are wild animals and we should leave them alone; never touch them or pick them up.
 6. How do bats help humans?

                                  Many bats are truly very helpful to people.
Here's How!
 
                      Some bats help control the insect population. For example.
Don't want mosquitoes? A single little brown bat can catch 600 Mosquitoes in just one hour.Bugs bugging you? The 20 million Mexican free-tail bats from Bracken Cave, Texas can eat 250 tons of insects in a night!

                                                          BESIDES
With bats eating all those insects, this means fewer chemicals and poisons will be used on crops, and that's healthier for all  of us!
 

Certain Bats are helpful to farmers.

                                                       For example.
     A colony of just 150 big brown bats can aid farmers by eating up to 18 million or more rootworms each summer. BESIDESThis saves crops from damage, and makes more food available at the market. Many bats spread seeds for new plants and trees.

                                                       For example.
              Tropical bats are important to rain forests.  They pollinate flowers and drop seeds for many trees and bushes. In the wild, important plants, from bananas and mangos to nuts, dates and figs, depend upon bats for pollination and seed dropping.  In the southwestern part of the United States, nectar-feeding bats  are the main pollinators of the giant saguaro cactus. You can tell that a bat is a mammal because it has fur or hair on it  By helping to rebuild cut forests, bats are also making sureother animals continue to have homes, shelter and food.
 The Vampire bat might help scientists. The saliva from the vampire bat  is being studied to see if someday a new medicine can be found to help people with heart problems.
 WE CAN PROTECT BATS BY TELLING OTHERS HOW HELPFUL AND USEFUL THEY ARE. BUT REMEMBER, BATS ARE WILD ANIMALS AND YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH THEM.   YOU MUST LEAVE THEM ALONE.

HOW DO BATS HELP HUMANS?
                                  Many bats are truly very helpful to people.
          Here's How!  Some bats help control the insect population.
 For example. Don't want mosquitoes? A single little brown bat can catch     600 Mosquitoes in just one hour.
 Bugs bugging you?
                              The 20 million Mexican free-tail bats from Bracken Cave, Texas
can eat 250 tons of insects in a night!
  BESIDES With bats eating all those insects, this means fewer chemicals and poisons will be used on crops, and that's healthier for all of us!
 

Certain Bats are helpful to farmers.

 For example. A colony of just 150 big brown bats can aid farmers by eating up to 18 million or more rootworms each summer.
 BESIDESThis saves crops from damage, and makes more food available at the market. Many bats spread seeds for new plants and trees.
 For example.Tropical bats are important to rain forests.  They pollinate flowers and drop seeds for many trees and bushes. In the wild, important plants, from bananas and mangos to nuts, dates and figs,  depend upon bats for pollination and seed dropping. In the southwestern part of the United States, nectar-feeding bats are the main pollinators of the giant saguaro cactus.
 BesidesL: By helping to rebuild cut forests, bats are also making sure other animals continue to have homes, shelter and food.The Vampire bat might help scientists. The saliva from the vampire bat  is being studied to see if someday a new medicine can be found to help people with heart problems.
 
            WE CAN PROTECT BATS BY TELLING OTHERS HOW HELPFUL AND USEFUL THEY ARE, BUT REMEMBER, BATS ARE WILD ANIMALS AND YOU SHOULD NEVER TOUCH THEM.   YOU MUST LEAVE THEM ALONE.

 7. How does echolocation work?
ECHOLOCATION and how it works
 Bats send out sound waves using their mouth or nose.  When the sound hits an object an echo come back.  The bat can identify an object by the sound of the echo. They can even tell the size, shape and texture of  a tiny insect from its echo.  Most bats use echolocation to navigate in the dark and find food. bats use echolocation to navigate i

  9. If they fly why aren't they birds?
 IF THEY FLY,WHY AREN'T THEY BIRDS?  Do you know why?
 Is there a difference?Take a look and find out! Are you more like a bat or a bird?
 Bats are mammals.They have fur or hair. A baby bat is born live. The babies nurse from their mom. Bats have arms, hands and feet.They are warm blooded.
   Birds Are...well...birds!  They are hatched from eggs. Birds have feathers, not fur or hair. Babies are fed from mom's mouth. They have wings, but no hands and fingers.
 
 

Sounds of the World's Animals
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Aquariums and Zoos

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General Animal Links

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Amphibians
 What Is an Amphibian?

Like birds, reptiles, mammals, and fishes, amphibians are vertebrates that is, creatures with a backbone and an internal skeleton. Amphibians live part of their life in waterand part on land. Even those species that lay eggs on land start life in a fluid-filled egg, breathing through gills.
(as defined from Yahooligans.com)

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Birds
What Is a Bird?

Birds are warm-blooded creatures, like mammals, but they lay eggs, like most reptiles. All birds have feathers and wings, and most birds are able to fly. Birds are amazingly varied in their shapes, sizes, colors, and behavior patterns. There are more than 9,000 different species of birds in the world.
(as defined by Yahooligans.com)

Penguins

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Mammals

What Is a Mammal?

Mammals live on land, at sea, in the air, and under the ground. All mammals, from bats to whales, share a number of important traits that make them different from other animals. Mammals are warm-blooded, they have fur or hair, and most mammals give birth to live young (rather than laying eggs).

(as defined by Yahooligans.com)

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Reptiles
 (Snakes and Lizards; The Crocodile Family; Turtles and Tortoises)

What Is a Reptile?
                        Today there are 6,800 reptile species on earth; the major
                              groups are alligators and crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and
                              snakes. All reptiles are cold-blooded, which is why they
                              warm themselves in the sun, and have bodies covered in
                              dry, horny scales. Some reptiles lay eggs; others give birth
                              to live young.

What is a Reptile?(and what isn't!)
What is a Reptile?(from Ohio kids)
What is a Reptile?(Yahooligans Animal Site; lots of links to reptiles.)

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