The common perception about bats is that they are filthy, ugly and wild. There have been many stories aired about how dangerous bats are. In some horror fictions, bats are shows as blood sucking mammals. While in some children stories and cartoons, bats are given a positive look by creating a powerful and fearless bat man who likes to live alone, in some cave. But both these are extremely fictional and far from reality beliefs. Below are given some facts about bats.
1. Bats are clean
Bats are perceived to be ugly and filthy animal. But this is not the reality. Bats do not live in dirt nor are they dirty. They groom themselves time to time.
2. Species
There are 1000 known species of bats. Some of them are so small in size that they can easily fit in human palm.
3. Their family
A bat reproduces only once in a year on in other words, one pup a year is the family bats normally have. They are considered slowest and shortest mammals based on their size.
4. Nature and behavior
Bats do not search for food in the day, instead in ay light they take rest in some lone places. As the night approaches, bats leave their place in the search of food. Bats are not blind, they have very good eyesight. This is their nature that allows them to wander around during night.
5. Their food
The different species of bats eat different things. Some of them eat moths, beetles crickets etc. while the other species eat pollen nectar and petals. Some species eat lizards, small frogs and even birds.
6. Vampire bats
One of the species of bats is called vampire bats. These bats put their own life into risk in sharing food with then toots-mates. The vampire bats’ saliva is been tested in labs for an element that helps recovering humans from stroke and heart diseases.
7. Longest- lived mammals
Little bats can eat as much as 1000 mosquitoes in one hour and they can live up to fourty years. For this reason, considering their size, they are called world’s longest lived mammals.
8. Hibernation
Bats can bring their heart beats down up to the rate of 20 beats per min. not only this but they can stay breathless for 48 min. during their hibernation period.
9. The white bats
The Honduran white bat is snow white in color. It has yellow nose and ears. It protects its small colonies in jungles by cutting the leaves making them as tents.
10. Male bats
To attract their mates, male bats of Africa have pouches in their shoulders that contain large, showy patches of white fur. The Chapin’s free – tailed bats have large tufts of white hair on top of their heads which they use for the same purpose i.e. to impress the female bats.