Bats are the most widespread mammal, after the rodent, in the world. There are over 1,400 species of bats, and their appearances differ for each species. Bat wingspans vary from 15 centimeters to around 2 meters. Different species can
weigh anywhere from 2 grams to 1.5 kilograms. There are two main groups of bats. The microbats are the most common group.
Microbats are small in size with small eyes and big ears. Macrobats are medium to large-sized bats with larger ears, a
greater sense of smell, and bigger eyes than microbats have. Bats are the only mammal that can fly. Their hands are
their wings. They have four fingers and a thumb with a soft membrane of skin connecting them. Their wings have Merkel cells,
or small sensitive bumps with hair in the center, on them. These cells help them fly effectively by feeling the wind
on their wings.
Habitat and Diet
There are over 1,400 species of bats in the world, and they are found almost everywhere. Just not in extreme deserts or
polar areas. They tend to live in caves, tree burrows, and man-made structures, like bridges. Roosting spots are hard to come
by, so you will find many, maybe even millions, of bats living together. They hang upside down for two reasons. The first
reason is that bats can take off from hanging upside down. The second reason is that their hind legs can't support
the weight of the rest of their body. Microbats eat insects, like mosquitos and moths, which saves farmers millions of dollars a year on toxic pesticides. Bats who eat nectar have long snouts and tounges to extract from flowers. Fruit bats
pollinate a lot of plants and fruits like durians, bananas, avocados, and mangos. Fruit bats don't actually eat
fruit, but they drink the juice and then throw the pulp and seeds on the ground, which helps regenerate the rainforest. There
are only three species of vampire bats. Luckily, they prefer the blood of cattle, not humans.
Disease
Bats carry many deadly diseases, like rabies (though very few carry this), ebola, and more. They can coexist with viruses
for decades without dying, and bats can live up to 30 years in the wild. Viruses don't necessarily kill humans as much as
the bodies response to it kill humans. Bats have evolved to not react to many foreign cells and because of this, they can
carry disease.
Conservation Concerns
Bat populations suffer from habit destruction worldwide. If we want to help these creatures, who are ecosystem heroes, then
we must leave them alone. Many people blame bats for giving humans disease, but humans can avoid this by not going around
bats. Bats also are dying from White Nose Disease. It wakes bats up mid-hibernation (though not all bats hibernate, some
migrate), and the bats aren't able to find sufficient food. The lack of food means they die of starvation, and the disease has wiped
out many bats.
