Bats / myLot

Boise, Idaho

October 10, 2022 2:19pm CST

There are over 1,400 identified types of bats around the world. But, a new species seems to be discovered every year. These are nocturnal animals and spend their days resting in roosts and hunting for food at night. They come in all sizes, such as the bumblebee bat that is the size of a small pebble while the Giant golden-crowned flying fox has a wing span of about 67 inches( 51/2 feet) across. The Bumblebee bat lives in limestone caves in Myanmar and Thailand. They live in groups of about 100 bats and are active at twilight. They live on insects. Their nickname comes from the fact they are about the size of a bumblebee or the top section of the human thumb. There are only about 150 of these bats left. The low population may be due to the female only giving birth once a year and only having one offspring. The Giant golden-crowned flying fox is found exclusively in the Philippines. The largest specimen found had a wing span of five feet and six inches and weighed about 2.6 pounds. They are herbivorous and live on figs and fruit. They currently have an estimated population of about 10,000 to 20,000. The Hoary bat is the most common bat seen in the United States, Canada, and part of South America. There is even a species of this type of bat in Hawaii. They are solitary creatures and rarely seen. The little brown bat is also a common bat with a range from Alaska to central Mexico. Picture from Flickr.com

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4 responses

@DaddyEvil (174208)

• United States

13 Oct 22

When I was growing up on the farm, there used to be lots of bats that would roost in bushes and trees on our farm. Dad and mom told us to leave them alone as they might have rabies and would bite us. In the evenings they always swarmed over our yard, catching mosquitoes and other bugs that were flying around our pole light in the yard.

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celticeagle

@celticeagle (189793)

• Boise, Idaho

14 Oct 22

We got a few flying around at my grandparents. My grandmother caught one in a jar and my cousin took it to school for Show and Tell. They are cute little guys.

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@DaddyEvil (174208)

• United States

14 Oct 22

@celticeagle When they snarl and show their teeth they aren't cute at all.

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Ruby Hawk

@RubyHawk (99367)

• Atlanta, Georgia

11 Oct 22

We used to live at the foot of a mountain. Bats lived in caves on the mountain. Just before dark every evening bats would come flying down the mountain. They were small about the size of a small bird. I think they were catching bugs to eat.

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celticeagle

@celticeagle (189793)

• Boise, Idaho

12 Oct 22

Probably. I used to go to an evening church service when I lived in Pocatello. When we took our break we'd all go outside and I could see the bats in the top of the church across the street flying out and over to the park. Quite a production. Lots of bats. And there was one white one I saw one time.

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Ruby Hawk

@RubyHawk (99367)

• Atlanta, Georgia

12 Oct 22

@celticeagle I don’t recall that I’ve seen any bats since that time.