BAT FACTS  

• Bats can fly at speeds reaching 60 mph.
• Bats can find their food in total darkness. They locate insects by emitting inaudible high-pitched sounds, 10-20 beeps per second and listening to echoes.
• There are 1,100 species of bats worldwide – making up one-quarter of the world’s mammal population. There are forty different species of bats live in the United States.
• There are only three species of “vampire bats” – bats that live off the blood of animals. None of those species lives in the United States.
• Bats can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes in an hour, and often consume their body weight in insects every night.
• More than half of the bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered.
• Bats can live to be more than 30 years old.
• Some bats migrate south for the winter, while others hibernate through the cold winter months. During hibernation, bats can survive in freezing temperatures, even after being encased in ice.
• Bat mothers can find their babies among thousands or millions of other batsby their unique voices and scents.
• Bat droppings, called guano, are one of the richest fertilizers. Bat guano was once a big business. Guano was Texas largest mineral export before oil!
• Bats are able to “see” in the dark by using a special skill called Echolocation. By making noises and waiting for the sound waves to bounce back off objects, Bats are able to navigate through spaces. If the sound doesn’t bounce back, then they can safely fly forward. The speed that the sound waves bounce back indicates the distance of various objects in their path.
• Bats can carry rabies, making their bites potentially dangerous. If you are bitten by a Bat, seek medical help as soon as possible.
• Some Bats live by themselves while others live in caves with thousands of other Bats.