Bat Fun Facts

Bat Fun Facts

We love our bat friends! They come out every night by camp searching for mosquitoes.   Brown bats are the ones we see the most at camp! They live just inside the caves on the other side of the lake. These little buddies can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes an hour! Yay! Let’s learn more about bats!

• Bats are the only true flying mammal on earth!
• There are around 1,200 different species.
  
• Bats have specialized wings that help them fly- bat wings have five appendages- including a thumb on top to help them climbs.
• Bat wings are covered in a thin membrane called the patagium.
• Scientists believe that bats evolved around 100 million years ago.

• Bats are nocturnal.
  
• Bats use echolocation to detect prey, especially flying insects.
• Most bats are very social and live in large groups.
• Some bats do sleep upside down.
• When a bat’s feet are gripped around a branch upside down they are in a relaxed position. When humans make a fist, their muscles are rigid. That is the opposite with bat feet! Pretty neat huh? 

These beneficial little critters don’t spend all of their lives in caves, they must come out to find food every night! We just love them!!