Each year on April 17th, International Bat Appreciation Day reminds us of the roles bats play in our daily lives. April is also the best time of the year to observe bats, as they are now beginning to emerge from hibernation.
April is also the best time of the year to observe bats, as they are now beginning to emerge from hibernation. The observance is an excellent time to learn about the role bats play in nature. Since bats are considered “insectivorous” creatures, they rid our world of many annoying insects. In one hour, a bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes.
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Interesting Bat Facts:
- Some species of bats live up to 40 years.
- Bats can see in the dark and use their extreme sense of hearing.
- They also use echolocation to find food.
- A bat’s ability to fly makes them unique. In the mammal world, only bats are naturally capable of true and sustained flight.
- There are over 1,200 known species of bats.
- An estimated 48 species of bats make their home in the United States.
- Nearly 70% of bats are insectivores.
- As pollinators, bats, along with bees and butterflies, provide a vital link to our food supply.
- Bats grow in a variety of sizes. One of the largest bats is theGiant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox batweighing up to 4 lbs with a wingspan of up to 5 feet, 7 inches.
- Bats are also clean animals, grooming themselves almost constantly.
- North America’s largest urban bat colony is found on the Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin, Texas. An estimated 1,500,000 Mexican Free-Tailed bats live there. This colony of bats eats approximately 10,000 to 30,000 lbs of insects each night. An estimated 100,000 tourists visit the bridge annually to watch the bats leave the roost at twilight.
- One 150 Big Brown bats colony protects farmers from up to 33 million or more rootworms each summer.
- Almost 40% of American bat species are in severe decline, with some already listed as endangered or threatened.
- Three U.S. states have an official state bat. Texas and Oklahoma named the Mexican Free-Tailed battheir state bat, and Virginia dubbed the Virginia Big-Eared battheir state bat.
Bat Conservation International (BCI) started and supports International Bat Appreciation Day. The BCI mission is to conserve the world’s bats and their ecosystems to ensure a healthy planet.
The flying fox is the world’s largest bat and lives in the tropical forests and swamps of Madagascar, Australia, Asia, and Indonesia. The species is threatened by hunting, with some populations considered endangered.
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