The Thing About Bats

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The Earth is actually home to more than 8.7 million species of animals and plants that live on the land and in water. Mammals make up a small fraction of that number with about 6,495 species. The warm-blooded mammals that are most numerous are bats that account for about 21% of all the mammals in the world. Here are some interesting facts about bats: * There is a tiny one, the bumblebee bat, that measures one inch in size and is the world's smallest. The largest in the world is the flying fox with a 5-foot wingspan. * A group of bats is called a colony. Those in flight are called a cauldron, cloud or sworn. They have been around for 50 million years. * Scientists classify bats into two categories: the micro type and the mega. The micro is usually small and hunt at night while the mega are large and may hunt during the day. The mega also have larger eyes and have a better sense of smell. These live primarily in the tropics. * Bats are master pollinators of over 500 plant species. This includes the cacao for chocolate and the agave for tequila. They are able to transport better than bees. * They are also bug zappers. They keep the population of mosquitos, moths and beetles under control. They are very affective, able to eat half of their body weight in bugs each night. To me bats are an eerie part of the fall season. They used to fly around my grandparent's home. My grandmother caught one in a jar once. They are odd little characters. The picture is from pngtree.com