Do you like bats? Well, if you don’t, you’re about to, because these cute little buggers are outright adorable (most of them are, at least).
Bats are amazing creatures and the only flying mammals on the planet. No, the flying squirrels do not count. Despite a lot of similarities, different species of these winged terrors have different lifestyles, appearances, and dietary preferences. Some of them feed on flower nectar while others prefer fresh blood. But what else do we know about them other than “eating them cam cause a pandemic”?
Let’s talk incredible bat facts!
1) There are Mexican free-tailed bats that can reach the speed of 60 miles per hour and fly up to 250 miles per night.
2) Vampire bats physically can’t suck blood. They just bite off the skin and lick the wound.
3) Some bats like drinking cow blood, others attack goats, but the white-winged vampire bats have learned to act like chicks in order to fool succulent hens into cuddling with them.
4) Over 50% of all bats in the U.S. are endangered species.
5) Thanks to their unique wings structure, bats fly more efficiently than birds.
6) You can meet bats almost anywhere in the world. From the Arctic Circle to the southern-most points of Argentina and Africa.
7) One very hungry bat can slurp down 600 nasty bugs in 60 minutes.
8) Now imagine 150 big brown bats patrolling over cucumber farms night after night. In one summer, they can help us save billions of dollars!
9) If you were creeped out by vampire bats, just know that somewhere in West Africa there’s a species of bats that use spider webs as blankets.
10) Out of all the bats, only the blood drinkers can move on the ground freely.
11) The tiniest night flier discovered is the bumblebee bat. Weighing around two grams, this tiny bat can be easily mistaken for a bumblebee, hence the name.
12) Bat guano makes for an excellent fertilizer thanks to its high concentration of phosphorus and nitrogen.
13) By the way, guano was used to make real gunpowder during the U.S. civil war.
14) The phrase “blind as a bat” is 100% wrong. Not only can they see quite well, but some of them are able to detect UV light.
15) The oldest known bat lived around 50 million years ago.
16) The vast majority of bat species sleep, socialize, mate, reproduce, and die while hanging upside down.
17) Speaking of dead bats. If one passes away while hanging down, it won’t unclench its paws and stay like that until something, or someone shakes it loose.
