Did Did you know? now?...

 Thanks to this site:

http://intergate.cccoe.k12.ca.us/bats/k

1.) Bats are considered nature's best bug control.

2.)Trees in Africa and South America depend on bats to spread their seeds.

3.) Night blooming flowers depend on bats for pollination.

4.) The scientific name for bats is Chiroptera meaning "hand-wing".

5.) Bats are the only mammal that can fly.

6.) The largest bat has almost a 6 foot wing span.

7.) The smallest bat weighs less than a penny.

 8.) Besides night insects, bats eat fish, frogs, fruit, nectar, and blood from other   mammals.

9.) There are almost 1000 species of bats and three are considered vampires.

10.) Bats have only one baby a year.

11.) Insect eating bats use echolocation to find and catch food.

12.) Bats in cooler climates hibernate or migrate during the winter.

12.) Bats in cooler climates hibernate or migrate during the winter

There are more than 900 species (kinds) of bats. Only three species, called vampires, eat blood. But they don't suck their meals--they make a small cut and then lick the trickle of blood that flows out. They go for the blood of cows, horses, pigs, and, very rarely, humans. But don't worry--no vampire bats live in North America.



Most bats in North America eat insects such as mosquitoes. A bat may eat 500 insects an hour!



Some kinds of bats can catch fish! They make sounds and listen for echoes to find ripples made by fish in the water. Then the bats use their long, curved claws to scoop up their prey.



The smallest mammal in the world is the bumblebee bat from Asia. It weighs less than a penny!



Bats are smart about staying away from people. So if a bat lets you get very close to it, it's probably sick. Don't touch it! A few bats carry a very bad disease called RABIES. If a bat seems to be hurt or sick, call your local public health department or animal rescue organization.



Bats are fun to watch! Just go outside in the evening, look up, and use a flashlight to spot the bats.

Take the bat quiz.