Bats: Terrific Twilight Fliers
3 June 2009
by Dani Hemmat
I spy with my little eye—a bat swooping through the dusky night sky! The bat, Earth’s only flying mammal, is one of the most misunderstood and most helpful and interesting creatures in our world. And being outside is the best way to see them perform their graceful, daring acrobatics in the air. Camping out—whether in your backyard or in a national forest—is a perfect way to observe these clever creatures. Bats are nocturnal, which means they sleep during the day and are active during the night. Eating, playing, and hunting all happens as soon as the sun goes down. Sitting around your campfire when it is twilight’s turn in the sky is a prime time to look up and watch tiny bats swoop and dive while they hunt for insects. Make sure you’re comfortable—you’ll need to be patient as you gaze up at the tree-ringed sky and wait for bats to flitter and fly over your head. If there are lots of insects around your campsite, then you’ll probably get to see some bats.
If you know a little bit about bats, it makes it even more fun to watch for them. Lots of myths, or untrue stories, surround bats. It’s up to you to ignore those myths and spread the word about how remarkable these creatures are. Some myths about bats: They can’t see (ever hear the phrase, Blind as a bat?), they get tangled in your hair, and they are dirty animals that spread rabies. Not so! They aren’t blind—most of them see quite well. And, if they can locate tiny insects in the dark, then why would they fly into people and get tangled in their hair? As far as being dirty and carrying diseases like rabies, they can get rabies, just like dogs, cats, raccoons, and people can but rarely ever do. And you don’t ever have to worry about that if you never, ever touch a bat. Don’t forget that they are wild animals—we should leave them alone and never pick them up or touch them.
Now that you’re a myth-buster, here are some cool facts about bats for you to pass around: They help control insect populations, and they pollinate plants that provide food for you. Bats help reseed forests that have been cut down, and bat guano, or poop, helps humans make medicine, make fuel, and fertilize our farms and gardens. Wow! Pretty useful little creatures!
A bat uses echolocation for navigation and seeking food. The bat sends out sound waves using its mouth or nose. When those sound waves hit an object, it bounces an echo back to the bat’s super-duper incredible ears. The bat can tell the size, shape, and texture of things from that echo. Cool! Most North American bats are small, with the Little Brown Bat being the most common. Adult Little Brown Bats are about 3 inches long with a wingspan of 9 inches. Watch for them at twilight as they hunt for bugs—a Little Brown Bat can typically catch 1,500 mosquito-sized insects an hour. And they often use the same flight routes over and over again, so you get plenty of chances to watch them do their batty thing!
For more info about bats, check out www.batconservation.org or www.bats4kids.org. And for a great book that gives a different take on bats, head down to the library and check out Stellaluna by Janelle Cannon.
Image of fruit bat by Diana Lili M, 2007, Creative Commons license.
