The Big Bad World of Bats Welcome to BC Splash! Bats are dirty. Myth? or Fact? Bats groom themselves just like cats and are very clean. Bats are the only mammals that fly. Myth? or Fact? One insect-eating bat consumes about 2,000 to 6,000 insects per year. Myth? or Fact? One insect-eating bat consumes about 2,000 to 6,000 insects EVERY NIGHT. The average lifespan of a bat is between 10 and 20 years. Myth? or Fact? Some bats can even live to be 30 years old. All bats have rabies. Myth? or Fact? Less than 1% of bats have rabies Bats get tangled in your hair. Myth? or Fact? Bats don’t build nests and have little interest in our hair Bats can’t take off from the ground. Myth? or Fact? Most bats must drop 2 or 3 feet before they can fly. Bats attack people Myth? or Fact? Bats are afraid of humans and try to stay away from people as best they can Bats usually have only one baby a year. Myth? or Fact? Bat babies typically weigh about 25% of their moms when they are born. That’s like a 100 pound mom having a 25 pound baby! Bats suck blood Myth? or Fact? Most bats are insect-eaters. The one species of bat that does drink blood is the Vampire Bat.Vampire bats live in Mexico, Central America and South America. Only 3 of the more than 1,300 kinds of bats in the world are Vampire bats. Bats are blind. Myth? or Fact? All bats can see. Many types of bats have small eyes and use echolocation to navigate, but they aren’t blind. Some Other Cool Facts ➔ The order that bats are in is called “Chiroptera,” which means “hand-wing,” because bat wings are so much like human hands. ➔ There are more than 1,300 different species of bats in the world, making up a quarter of all mammals. ➔ The smallest bat in the world is the Kitties Hog-nosed Bat, also known as a Bumblebee Bat, and has a 6-inch wingspan. The largest bat in the world, the Malayan Flying Fox, has a 6-FOOT wingspan. ➔ Bats can be extremely social and most live in large groups, called colonies. ➔ Some species of bats can fly more than 50 miles per hour. ➔ Bats do just about everything upside down (except go to the bathroom). Just a few Bat Species... Dwarf Epauletted Fruit Bat Egyptian Fruit Bat California Leaf-Nosed Bat Honduran White Bat Indian Flying Fox Vampire Bats Bumblebee Bat Big Brown Bat Egyptian Fruit Bat ★ 6 inches long with 2 foot wingspan ★ Also referred to as the Flying Fox ★ Found throughout Africa, the Middle East and as far East as Northern India ★ Fruit Diet (Frugivorous), particularly wild dates ★ Pollinators or seed dispersers ○ The baobab tree relies almost exclusively on fruit bats to pollinate its flowers Indian Flying Fox Bat ★ Largest bat in India and one of the largest in the world ★ Wingspan: 4-5 feet ★ Body length: 6-9 inches ★ The longest living on in captivity lived for 31 years and 5 months ★ The Indian flying foxes are highly social creatures, forming large roosts of several hundred animals. A single group usually occupies one tree. These bats live in a 'vertical', male-dominated hierarchy system, where higher-ranked individuals occupy higher spots of the tree, while lower-ranked individuals remain on lower spots. ★ A group is called a cloud, colony or flock Common Vampire Bats ★ Unlike other bats, they can walk/run because of their strong legs ★ Actually very caring and social. Orphans are taken in by other mothers in the colony so they don’t die. They also share food, which is not observed in other species of bats ★ Typically found in South and Central America ★ Their liquid diet of blood is called Hematophagy ○ Draculin in their saliva prevents clotting ○ Lick not suck ○ Usually look for sleeping cattle who have thick skin and won’t care ○ One ounce of blood per night Kitti’s Hog-nosed Bat: The Bumblebee Bat ● The smallest bat in the world: less than ¼ of an ounce and approx. 1 inch. ● Very strong legs and claws ● Very tiny colonies, while most form thousands of members, they have only 100-500 members ● Insectivores: mostly flies and spiders ○ Usually eat while in flight; rarely stop Bats and Our Ecosystem ➔ Insect Population Control ◆ Some bats eat more than 70% of their body weight EVERY NIGHT ◆ A Little Brown Bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquito-sized insects in a single hour ● This controls malaria and the spread of other diseases ◆ An estimated 100 tons is eaten every year near the De Hoop cave in South Africa ➔ Pollination ◆ "Production of at least one third of the world’s food, including 87 of the 113 leading food crops, depends on pollination carried out by insects, bats and birds. This ecosystem service is worth over $200 billion per year." (source: IUCN - Securing the web of life, June 2012). ◆ Fruit and nectar feeding bats pollinate an estimated 450 commercial plants used by us: bananas, peaches, guavas, mangoes, avocado, figs, dates, papya, almonds, cashews, vanilla, agave, and more How to Save the Bats ➔ White-nose Syndrome ◆ An invasive fungus from Europe that kills more than a million bats each year. Thriving in caves and mines, this fungus grows on bats forcing them to wake up too frequently while they hibernate in the winter. Consequently, the infected bats use up their fat stores too fast and eventually starve. ➔ Pesticides ◆ Pesticides pollute our water and air, upsetting the natural balance in the environment. When exposed, small such as bats suffer. Pesticides both weaken them and also make it difficult for them to find healthy food to eat. ➔ Habitat Loss ◆ Bat House- Deforestation is destroying bat habitats around the world. Bats seek safe shelter under loose and peeling bark in dead and dying trees. When we cut down trees, we destroy the homes of bats and their young. Bat Houses! ➔ Mimicking the space between bark and a tree trunk ➔ Location, location, location ◆ Lots of sun ◆ At least 15 feet off the ground ◆ Ideally with a water source nearby ➔ The actual house ◆ 2 feet tall with 1-4 roosting chambers ◆ Dark Paint ➔ Capacity: 50 bats! ◆ Larger houses can even house nursery colonies of 200 or more! ◆ Link.