Bat Infographic

2yr ⋅ ⋅

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The Greater Naked Bat (Cheiromeles torquatus) is hairless. It has a wingspan of 65cm and forms large nursery colonies of up to 20,000 where they have twins. Unlike most bats, their echolocation is audible to humans.

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Many bats have whiskers on their toes to help them find footholds in the dark.

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Bats (Chiroptera) share a more recent common ancestor with dogs and horses than with rodents. Chiroptera, carnivorans, and hoofed mammals are part of the Scrotifera group.

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This time of year pairs of red bats may be found on the ground. They begin mating in the air and then tumble to the ground to finish.

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Bats get a lot of blame for zoonotic diseases, but they are not exceptional in having many pathogens. The number of notable viruses found in Chiroptera is a function of the number of bat species.

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Black Mastiff Bats (Molossus rufus) are born blind with their eyes closed. They open their eyes after a week and can fly at three weeks of age. They can fly great distances but are not thought to migrate seasonally.

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Fruit-eating Bats Eat Dirt To Detoxify Bad Parts Of Vegetables

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Fewer than 1% of bats have rabies, but sick bats are much more likely to encounter humans. Rabid bats have been described as more “lethargic” than “furious”. A biopsy of brain tissue can confirm a diagnosis.

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The Hairy Legged Vampire Bat (Diphylla ecaudata) will consume roughly half its bodyweight in a night. This is about 5 teaspoons of blood, usually from a bird.

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Flying taking a lot of energy. Many bats consume close to their body weight in food nightly.

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Fruit-eating bats have been recorded feeding on 1072 plant species and disperse seeds over larger distances than almost any other animal.

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This clip plays at full speed, than half speed so you can see how the bat sticks its whole face into the flower. This is why it is an excellent pollinator.

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Fruit bats invert to go to the toilet! They will flip right way up, hanging by their thumbs, do their business, shake their legs and then revert. This helps them to stay nice and clean. Thanks Jinx for demonstrating and taking a crap on me.

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Bat pups in some species have barbed teeth so that they can grip their mother’s nipple while she flies.

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The Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) is the smallest mammal. Images of other bat pups are often circulated online claiming to be this species. This is an adult.

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You can encourage bats to live nearby (and eat your local insects) by constructing and mounting a bat house! Roosts are often a limiting factor in bat distribution.

3yr ⋅

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Britain's loneliest bat? For the last 16 years, every winter, a male greater mouse-eared bat has taken up residence 300 metres inside a disused railway tunnel in West Sussex. The greater mouse-eared bat has been all but extinct in this country for decades. This is the only remaining that we know of.

3yr ⋅

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Hi bat fans! I'm on the production team of a new documentary - The Invisible Mammal. I joined to connect with other bat fans and share some production updates as we complete the film over the next few months. The film centers around a group of scientists trying to save bats from white-nose syndrome

2yr ⋅

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The reason male hammerhead bats look so strange is their elongated larynx and lips that allow them to produce loud honking mating calls

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Bats can fly better than reindeer.

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Years ago, a bat clung to space shuttle Discovery as it took off. We must never forget Space Bat.

5yr ⋅

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There are a few species of bats in the very exclusive club of mammals which menstruate.

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There are currently 1399 scientifically described bat species.

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Male Hammer-headed bats possess an enormous head for producing loud honking calls. The enlarged rostrum, larynx, and lips allow these sounds to be extremely resonant.

4yr ⋅

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There currently is no cure for White-Nose Syndrome, but it was demonstrated that bats immunized against the fungus were less likely to develop WNS or die from the disease in two initial scientific trials.

5yr ⋅

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Not all bats can see color, but none are truly blind. A few species are even known to see into the ultra-violet spectrum and many navigate by sight. Just look at the eyes on this baby fruit bat!

7yr ⋅

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Baby bats, called pups, are wrapped in blankets when they are in human care for several reasons: it makes them easier to handle, keeps them warm, and makes them feel safe. In the wild they would naturally spend much of their time wrapped in their mother’s wings.

6yr ⋅

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Bats are not rodents. They are more closely related to cats than rats.

7yr ⋅

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Young bats can't fly until they are 90% fully grown.

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There are 1300+ species of bats. They are the second most numerous group of mammals after rodents. New species are discovered every year.

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Normally this pup would normally be hanging on its mother, but a recent, intense heatwave has caused thousands of flying foxes to perish. This is the first time the Spectacled Flying Fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) has ever been documented suffering heat stress fatalities.

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The phalanges and metacarpal bones of bats are less mineralized than other bones of the wings allowing them to flex as necessary.

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Bats waggle their heads just like your adorable dog does to pinpoint where sounds are coming from. Some bats also change the shape of their ears to improve auditory acuity.

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Hoary Bats can be found from Canada to Argentina. They migrate in small groups in spring and fall but spend the rest of the year living alone in trees. They wrap themselves in their furry tail during the day.

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The Northern Ghost Bat (Diclidurus albus) lacks pigment in its wings allowing you to see the veins! The skin of some bat wings is thin enough that gases can diffuse through allowing bats to breathe through their wings!

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The skin of a bat's wings is called the patagium. Though it looks delicate, it is quite resilient and can heal quickly.

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There are over 530 flowering plant species pollinated by bats. Black Flying Foxes (Pteropus alecto) are one of the pollinators of Eucalyptus trees.

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October is Bat Appreciation Month. Make a new post with a fact about bats or a bat species in the title (and a nice picture if you can find one) and you’ll be seated flair at the end of the month!

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Flying is energetically expensive so bats have to eat a lot of food. For many bats, this means they can consume over half their body-weight in insects over a night.

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Baby bats spend the first part of their lives clinging to their mother and wrapped in her wings. Rescued orphaned bats are wrapped in blankets to mimic this experience for them. They are also often given pacifiers.

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There are 1300+ species of bats. They represent over 20% of extant mammal species. They are are adapted to numerous niches and can be found on every continent except Antarctica.

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The estimated value of American bats to the agricultural industry is roughly $22.9 billion/year. If we assume values at the extremes of the probable range, the value of bats may be as low as $3.7 billion/year and as high as $53 billion/year.

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White Nose Syndrome has devastated Bat populations across North America. Fat bats tend to have higher survival rates.

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April 17th is Bat Appreciation Day. Bats play important roles in many ecosystems as predators, prey, and pollinators. Wars have even been fought over their poop!

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Bats’ small size and nocturnal habits mean relatively little is known about their parenting, but we have recently learned that mother bats will help their offspring find the best roosts.

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The California Leaf-nosed Bat (Macrotus californicus) is a desert specialist. It can survive without water for at least six weeks. They roost in caves and mines during the day and hunt for insects at night.

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Post a bat fact in October and receive special flair!

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October Flair awarded for submissions

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Bats use social calls and follow rules (eg turn left when exiting cave) to dictate air traffic and avoid collisions.

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Geoffroy's tailless bat (Anoura geoffroyi) is a small leaf-nosed Bat from Latin America. It consumes nectar and pollen as well as insects.

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In most mammals, telomeres shorten over time and are thought to be related to aging. In the longest lived bat genus (Myotis), these chromosome structures do not shorten with age. These bats can live to be at least forty years old.

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This big boy is the Great Capricorn Beetle (Cerambyx cerdo). As a larva, it chews through the wood of old, decaying, or dead trees. The galleries left behind after the beetle grubs leave become the home to small bat species.

5yr ⋅

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Blood is mostly water so vampire bats must have very efficient kidneys to filter out the excess. These bats must consume more than half their body weight in one meal.

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The theme for Bat Week 2018 is Be a Bat Hero. This week also coincides with the North American Society for Bat Research annual symposium where bat biologists share research, stories, and tequila.

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Is the Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus) the coolest bat? Maybe! In addition to pollinating cactus flowers, they are immune to scorpion venom, and can spray like a skunk for defense (but from its face instead of the anus)!

5yr ⋅

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There are color differences between male and female Honduran White Bats (Ectophylla alba) and between adults and juveniles. These color differences may play a role in sexual selection. The brighter the nose, the healthier (and more attractive) the male is.

5yr ⋅

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Honduran White Bats (Ectophylla alba) sleep in cozy groups inside leaf tents. At night they fly out to find figs, their favorite food.

7yr ⋅

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Bats have a unique vestibular system anatomy. When exposed to zero-G, bats do not undergo the series of righting reflexes that most mammals do to correct orientation because they are accustomed to resting upside-down.

7yr ⋅

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You might think of bats as cave-dwellers, but there are many species which roost in trees, either in the foliage, under the bark, or in cavities within the trunk.

5yr ⋅

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The painted bat is a gorgeous shade of orange with black wings and orange along the fingers. Their fur is rather curly and a little wholly. They eat insects and are found in Asia. Their coloring helps them to blend in with the dried leaves and flowers where they roost.

5yr ⋅

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Bats are not blind.

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Baby cats are called kittens; baby bats are called bittens.

7yr ⋅

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Not all bats eat insects or fruit. These are Greater Bulldog Bats (Noctilio leporinus). They eat fish they pluck from the water. Interestingly, they lose this brilliant orange coloring if they are taken into captivity.

5yr ⋅

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In contrast to birds and airplanes, bat wings have thin airfoils. This means they are worse at gliding. Most of the lift is generated by flapping their wings.

6yr ⋅

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Many fruit bats have a higher alcohol tolerance than humans.

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Desmoteplase is a novel, highly fibrin-specific clot-busting drug in development that reached phase III clinical trials. It is derived from vampire bat saliva.

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Unlike birds, bats do not have hollow bones. This guy, a Bonda Mastiff Bat (Molossus bondae), is perhaps a little more big boned than most!

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Bats can swim.

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Vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) in captivity are fed a diet of cow blood. Different institutions acquire this blood in different ways, some get it from butchers but at least one institution uses a donor herd of cattle.

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Bats are not born blind. Most see fairly well. However, many blind bats have been found living just fine with their visual impairments.

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Some bat species will roost in artificial roosts. You can erect these bat boxes yourself to give your neighborhood bats a place to live! A recent study found that rocket box designs performed particularly well.

5yr ⋅

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For North American bats, fall is mating season. They either hibernate or migrate south for the winter and then become pregnant in the spring. Sperm is stored internally until spring when conditions are more favorable.

5yr ⋅

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Some insects taste awful or are poisonous. They have bright, aposematic coloring to warn predators. Such coloration doesn't work at night, so fireflies developed bioluminescence to warn bats that they aren't tasty.

6yr ⋅

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The smallest known bat is the Bumblebee Bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai). They weigh 2 grams and live in caves in small groups. They forage for less than an hour each night for small insects.

6yr ⋅

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Populations of Blyth's Horseshoe Bats( Rhinolophus lepidus) on Tioman Island hunt during the day. In fact, there are several species of diurnal bats and all of them live on islands. The absence of bird predators may be the reason these bats switched to daytime.

5yr ⋅

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There are 1300+ species of bats. Over 20% of all living mammal species are bats. Only three of these species drink blood.

7yr ⋅

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Bats have long held important places in folklore, often focusing on their dual nature as creatures of twilight straddling the line between birds and mammals.

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Bats are not rodents. They are their own group called Chiroptera. They are more closely related to cats than rats.

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Fact: I took this adorable picture at Disney’s Animal Kingdom yesterday.

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Just as birds can be identified by their songs, bats can be identified by their echolocation. Most of these vocalizations are outside human hearing range, which is fortunate as they can be as loud as a jackhammer.

5yr ⋅

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Thank you everyone who submitted for Bat Appreciation Month! Flair has been awarded!

8yr ⋅

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There are fewer than 10,000 Ghost Bats (Macroderma gigas) remaining in Australia. They forage for small animals like lizards and birds within in 1-2km of the caves, mines, and rock clefts they call home.

7yr ⋅

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Bats can swim.

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Bats generally will avoid flying in bad weather, but they will brave the elements if they (or their pups) are hungry enough.

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Researchers have discovered that P. destructans, the fungus that causes White-nose Syndrome, is unable to repair DNA damage caused by UV light. This discovery could lead to novel treatments for the bat disease which has killed over 6 million bats.

6yr ⋅

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Northern Yellow Bats (Lasiurus intermedius ) roost year-round in Spanish moss or beneath the dead, hanging fronds of cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto). They have a wingspan of 14 to 16 inches and a body length of about 2.8 inches.

6yr ⋅

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Just like humans, bats can recognize the voices of individuals they know. Also like humans, the pitch of their voice will change in response to how stressed they are.

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The Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) is long-distance flyer. It has biological radiators along its sides under the wings that may help regulate heat. This adaptation seems to be unique to the free-tailed bat family (Molossidae).

5yr ⋅

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Flying foxes can understand human gestures. They will follow a pointing finger without training, and are the first non-domesticated animal to exhibit this behavior.

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Behold! The suction cups of the Spix Disk-winged Bat (Thyroptera tricolor). They roost inside large, smooth immature leaves which unfurl as they grow so these bats must always be on the look out for new roosts.

6yr ⋅

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Leutogi a Samoan princess turned goddess was the protector of bats and the fertility goddess.

5yr ⋅

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While most bats are hopelessly clumsy on the ground, the Common Vampire Bats (Desmodus rotundus) is incredibly agile. They leap into the air with powerful push-ups and can run at a speed of fifteen body-lengths per second.

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Livingstone's fruit bat (Pteropus livingstonii) is critically endangered. It is found on only two islands where there are 21 known colonies. Total was led population is estimated to be less than 2000 individuals.

6yr ⋅

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Although flying foxes are commonly called 'fruit bats' their favourite food source is actually flowers.

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Bats are power pollinators, carrying pollen farther than any other animal for hundreds of essential plants.

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July 24th is National Tequila Day. Tequila is processed from the pina, or tender core of the blue agave cactus. This is often done before the plant reaches maturity and flowers. The agave would naturally be pollinated by bats.

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[Meta] The bat emoji is now available as a user flair.

7yr ⋅

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This little guy has a long life ahead of her! Bats can live over twenty years.

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Discovered in South Sudan just 3 years ago, this bat was so unlike any other known bat that scientists created a new genus, 'Niumbaha', for it. This word means 'rare' in Zande, the language of the Azande people who live where it was found. (x-post from r/Awwducational)

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New genetic testing has revealed that hoary bats are distinct enough from their fluffy-tailed cousins to warrant their own genus: Aeorestes. The Hawaiian Hoary Bat is also now recognized as a distinct species (Aeorestes semotus) rather than a subspecies of the hoary bats on the mainland.

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Honduran White Bats (Ectophylla alba) save them a great deal of energy by converting large leaves into tents. Their energy expenditure may increase up to 50% when roosting under an unmodified leaf.

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Male Mexican Free-tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) sing to attract a mate.

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Bats are the pollinators of blue agave, the plant from which tequila is refined. The plants are often harvested before flowering, which isn’t great for the bats or the genetic diversity of the agave.

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Bats are the second most diverse group of mammals with well over 1300 species. It seems being able to fly opens up many available niches. Two new species were described in December 2017. This is the newly described Freeman’s Dog-faced Bat (Cynomops freemani) from Panama.

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Bats are in trouble! White-nose syndrome has devastated bat populations since it was first discovered in 2006. Today, WNS kills bats in 33 US states and 7 Canadian provinces.

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Ever chugged a Gatorade during a workout? Less than 30% of that sugar is available to you right away. But for the Palla's Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga soricina) ∼78% of their energy can come from recently consumed sugars. They have the fastest metabolism of any mammal.

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Vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) are highly social. While it appears that these two bats are making out, the truth is more complicated. Vampires can starve very easily, so other bats will regurgitate into each other's mouths to save a life. Lovely!

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New work from Brazil documents the microbes living on bats in 5 feeding guilds. Bats from different guilds share many of the same bacteria, and some are also found in humans. Fruit-eating bats had the most diverse microbiota of the 5 guilds.

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Hammer-headed Bats (Hypsignathus monstrosus) are sexually dimorphic. The male is on the left. They eat fruit.

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Located less than 20 miles from downtown San Antonio, Bracken Cave is the summer home of more than 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis), making it the world's largest bat colony and one of the largest concentration of mammals on earth.

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Baby flying foxes require daily sunshine for vitamin D synthesis (and high-calcium milk) to support their rapid wing bone growth of up to 1mm a day.

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Flying foxes are great pollinators because they're messy eaters who fly long distances.

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Birds and insects can fold and rotate their wings during flight, but bats have many more options. Bat wings are highly articulated, with more than two dozen independent joints.

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Look at the tail on this Parnell’s Mustached Bat (Pteronotus parnellii). It can be tucked away into the uropatagium. Neat!

6yr ⋅

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For their body size, bats live longer than any other order of mammal. On average, the maximum recorded livespan of a bat is 3.5 times greater than other mammals of similar size.

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Bats are worth an estimated $23 billion to the US economy as natural pest control.

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Being studied by biologists can be tiring. This Brown Long-tongued Bat (Glossophaga commissarisi) received his fill of sugar water after being weighed and measured.

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Each individual bat has an unique “wing print” that can be used to identify them similar to our fingerprints.

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Bats do not have an appendix.

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The thumbs of the Northern Ghost Bat (Diclidurus albus) are vestigial.

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Painted Bats (Kerivoula picta) are found in Southern and eastern India to southern China. They live in small groups of 2 to 6.

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Bats will respond to the distress calls of other bats or at least check out what’s going on. They might just be assessing their own risk of being eaten rather than offering any sort of assistance or moral support.

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Northern Little Yellow-eared Bat (Vampyressa thyone) roosts in small groups in tents made from heart-shaped leaves. It eats figs and other small fruits.

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If you have some time to kill (>10s) you can help biologists study the behavior of Lesser Long-nosed Bats (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) by watching short videos and describing the behaviors of the featured bats. These bats are important pollinators in the Southwestern United States.

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There are so many bats living in Bracken Cave that it may take them more than four hours to all exit.

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Some bats can see ultraviolet light! Being able to see color in this range may help fruit and nectar-feeding bats find food.

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The Banana Pipistrelle (Neoromicia nana) has thick pads on its thumbs and feet that allow it to roost on smooth surfaces like banana leaves.

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Draculin is a glycoprotein found in the saliva of vampire bats. It is currently being explored in medicine. This anticoagulant may be useful as a treatment for strokes and heart attacks.

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Only male Mexican Free-tailed Bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) sing and they sing the most in the spring mating season and just before dawn.

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Most bats only have one pup a year so it takes them a long time to recover from population declines. Take a look at this Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus) pup that is just minutes old!

8yr ⋅

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In humans, a bicornate uterus is a type of uterine malformation, but in bats it is normal. Most bat species have just one relatively large pup each year.

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Flying fox feet are not only strong, but dextrous, and are particularly useful for eating

7yr ⋅

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The Cocos palm, an introduced weed in Australia, has fruit that is irresistible to flying foxes, but it can kill them in a variety of ways, including poisoning, entanglement, tooth damage and mouth obstruction.

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[bat fact] TIL - Female bats can control the timing of pregnancy and the birth of young, to make sure the birth aligns with maximum food ability and other ecological factors.

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There are 47 known bat species in the United States. The pest control services provided annually by these bats rivals the gross state product of Vermont.

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Spectral Bats (Vampyrum spectrum) hunt small mammals and birds. They will bring back food to share with their roostmates.

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Younger vampire bats are more likely to explore novel objects than adults

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Over 70% of the droppings of the Desert Long-eared Bat (Otonycteris hemprichii) can contain scorpion fragments, including pieces of the highly venomous deathstalker scorpion.

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Bats have many thermoregulatory strategies not found in other mammals. Some small bats have the ability to essentially become cold-blooded on warm summer days.

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Flying fox digestion enhances germination success of fig seeds

7yr ⋅

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One study found that without the pest control services provided by bats, cocoa bean yields would drop by as much as 22%! Thanks for protecting our chocolate, bats!

8yr ⋅

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Rescued flying fox pups are given pacifiers and mother surrogates to sooth them. This is to emulate the time they would spend latched to their mothers.

8yr ⋅

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Move over, Spider-man! The Spix Disk-winged Bat (Thyroptera tricolor) can stick to surfaces using its biological suction cups on its thumbs and heels. They live in small groups inside furled leaves which they can use like bugles.

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Not all bats are handsome, but the unusual facial features perform useful functions, like directing echolocation calls.

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Fun fact: Fruit bats love watermelon!

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