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HELPFUL INFORMATION
BATS ARE VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT ANIMALS TO PLANET EARTH !!!!!
BATS ARE VERY DIVERSE !!
BATS ARE VERY FASCINATING !!
BATS ARE MAMMALS BATS ARE NOT RODENTS !
THERE ARE MORE THAN 1,100 KNOWN SPECIES OF BATS IN THE WORLD !!
BATS ARE THE 2nd LARGEST GROUP OF MAMMALS .. ( rodents are the largest group of mammals ) bats represent more than 22 % of mammals on planet Earth !!!
bats are the most common mammals of the rain forests of planet Earth !!!
wow !!!
BATS ARE WARM-BLOODED .. WITH CONSTANT BODY TEMPERATURES bats have fur BATS GIVE BIRTH TO LIVE BABIES bats nurse their babies with their own milk
bats are mostly nocturnal flying mammals with elongated forelimbs and digits that are covered by a thin membrane of skin extending to hind back legs and .. sometimes to the tail
BATS ARE THE ONLY MAMMAL CAPABLE OF TRUE AND SUSTAINED FLIGHT !!!
MOST BATS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN RATHER SMALL WITH DELICATE BONES
IT IS BELIEVED THAT BATS ARE NOCTURNAL MAMMALS THAT FLY AT NIGHT BECAUSE
most insects travel about at night ..
SOME BAT CAVES ARE THE MOST PERMANENT HOMES OF ANY ANIMAL ON PLANET EARTH ! ! ! some caves have been home to generation after generation after generation of bats .. CONTINUOUSLY INHABITED .. NON-STOP .. FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BATS ARE .. SHY .. TIMID .. GENTLE ..
some bats usually live alone and are solitary SOME BATS LIVE IN GROUPS AND ARE COLONIAL
some bats migrate to warm areas in the winter SOME BATS DO NOT LEAVE THEIR TERRITORIES AND HIBERNATE IN THE WINTER
ABOUT 66 % OF ALL BAT SPECIES EAT INSECTS about 32 % of all bat species eat fruit ABOUT 1 % OF ALL BAT SPECIES EAT FISH .. MICE .. FROGS .. OR OTHER SMALL VERTEBRAE about 1/3 of 1 % of all bat species eat blood
BATS LIVE ALL OVER THE WORLD EXCEPT THE ARCTIC AND ANTARCTICA bats live in all types of habitats except extremely hot deserts MOST BATS LIVE IN THE TROPICS .. WHERE FOOD IS ABUNDANT bats in tropics are most often .. bright bright colors BATS IN COLDER AREAS ARE MOST OFTEN .. BLACK BROWN GREY
BATS THAT LIVE IN MORE OPEN HABITATS generally have bright fur colors and patterns and markings .. yellow .. red .. white .. silver .. even orange !!! BATS THAT LIVE IN MORE DARK SHELTERED AREAS generally have more drab fur colors .. black .. gray .. brown
THERE IS A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF VARIATION IN APPEARANCE OF THE WORLD'S BAT SPECIES !!! face and head features vary greatly .. SOME HAVE FEATURES LIKE .. puppies dogs bears cats foxes SOME FACES ARE .. flat pushed in wrinkly floppy SOME FACES HAVE .. skin flaps huge noses fleshy ridges lumps bumps
THESE FACIAL VARIATIONS SERVE LOTS OF FUNCTIONS .. help them to make and resonate echolocation calls help them move and navigate in darkness help males to attract females
45 SPECIES OF BAT LIVE IN NORTH AMERICA many NORTH AMERICAN BAT SPECIES have about a 12 inch wingspan weigh about 1/6 - 2/3 of an ounce !!!
THERE ARE 2 SUB ORDERS OF BATS megachiroptera microchiroptera
MEGACHIROPTERA live only in .. ASIA .. AFRICA .. AUSTRALIA .. INDIA most are BIG bats most eat fruit FLYING FOXES ARE MEGACHIROPTERANS live in .. INDIA .. AUSTRALIA .. ASIA ARE LARGEST BATS IN THE WORLD !
MICROCHIROPTERA live all over the world most are LITTLE bats eat mostly insects ARE SMALLEST BATS IN THE WORLD !
ALL BATS LIVING IN NORTH AMERICA ARE MICROCHIROPTERANS
BATS ARE EITHER MEGACHIROPTERANS also called MEGABATS or MICROCHIROPTERANS also called MICROBATS
THE MEGABATS HAVE 1 FAMILY OF ABOUT 175 SPECIES
THE MICROBATS HAVE 17 FAMILIES OF ABOUT 930 SPECIES
the world's smallest known mammal is a bat !!!
THE SMALLEST KNOW BAT IN THE WORLD IS .. BUMBLE - BEE BAT from THAILAND weighs .07 of an ounce less than an AMERICAN penny 1 inch long wingspan is 6 inches wide ( not as wide as a standard pencil )
THE LARGEST KNOWN BAT IS A FLYING FOX Pteropus giganteus from PAKISTAN .. INDIA .. BURMA weighs between 2 - 3 pounds ( weight of a heavy book ) wingspan is a bit over 6 feet wide
BRACKEN CAVE IN .. TEXAS UNITED STATES where a colony of MEXICAN FREE-TAILED BATS lives more than 20 MILLION individuals residing there ! ! ! LARGEST COLONY OF MAMMALS IN THE WORLD ! ! !
these amazing animals eat 200 TONS of insects each night !!!
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BIOLOGY physical characteristics warm blooded mammal COLOR AMAZING BLACK AND WHITE COLOR PATTERN SPOTTED BATS ARE PIEBALD ANIMALS piebald is black and white coloration
spotted bats have a SPOTTED coloration - 3 spots in total on back ONE LARGE WHITE SPOT ON EACH SHOULDER ONE LARGE SPOT ON THE LOWER PART OF BACK HAVE BRIGHT WHITE FUR AT THE BASE OF EACH EAR
BIOLOGISTS ARE NOT SURE WHY THE BEAUTIFUL SPOTTED BAT IS BLACK AND WHITE it is believed they are black and white so they will be camouflaged in their rocky habitat CAMOUFLAGE HELPS THEM BLEND IN WITH THEIR SURROUNDINGS AND TO HIDE THEM FROM POSSIBLE PREDATORS
in summer spotted bats more noticeable than in winter .. THIS HELPS THEM BE MORE VISIBLE TO EACH OTHER DURING TIME OF MATING .. being more visible to each other helps to not waste any energy trying to find each other ! !!
SPOTTED BATS ARE ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL OF ALL BATS OF THE WORLD ! FACES LOOK LIKE DOGS !!! THEY ARE SO SO SO CUTE !!! SUPER CUTE !!!
SIZE LARGE BATS ! 4.2 - 4.9 inches tall .. body and head height ears are almost as long as bodies !!! wingspan is 13 - 15 inches weight .. .4 - .8 of an ounce HAVE LIGHTWEIGHT BODIES .. NOT DENSE AND HEAVY less weight means easier flying
FUR LONG AND VERY SILKY VERY FURRY
EYES HAVE FANTASTIC VISION ! see great in daylight .. just as other mammals do ! see much much much better at night than many other mammals MUCH MUCH BETTER THAN HUMANS !!!
EARS BIG EARED BAT large large ears for astounding hearing .. HAVE SUPER AMAZING EXCELLENT HEARING ! HAVE THE LARGEST EARS OF ANY BAT IN NORTH AMERICA !!! most insect eating bats have really big ears MOST BATS WITH BIG BIG EARS LIVE IN WILD AREAS AND WESTERN DESERTS OF THE UNITED STATES special grooves inside spotted bat ears help direct sounds to the inside part of their ears SPOTTED BATS HAVE HUGE HUGE EARS TO HEAR QUIET QUIET QUIET MOTHS !!!
ALL MAMMALS HAVE HAIRS INSIDE THEIR EARS these hairs help with hearing ALL MAMMALS LOOSE SOME OF THESE IMPORTANT HAIRS AS THEY AGE spotted bats loose these hairs also BUT .. SPOTTED BATS REGENERATE CELLS WITHIN THEIR EARS AND GROW NEW HAIRS !!! so SPOTTED BAT'S HEARING STAYS AWESOME FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES !!! wow !!!
WHEN SPOTTED BATS REST OR SLEEP .. they fold their ears back against their backs WHEN THEY BECOME ALERT AND ARE READY TO FLY .. THEIR EARS STAND RIGHT UP ! ! !
INSECT EATING BAT EARS ARE OFTEN .. LARGER .. LONGER .. MORE POINTED INSECT EATING BATS NEED TO GATHER INFORMATION FROM THEIR PREY AS THEY HUNT
FRUIT EATING BAT EARS ARE OFTEN .. SMALLER .. SHORTER .. MORE ROUNDED FRUIT EATING BATS DO NOT HAVE TO LISTEN FOR THEIR FOOD
NOSE PLAIN NOSED BATS are plain nosed bats because do not have all sorts of lumps bumps or facial variations HAVE FANTASTIC FANTASTIC SENSE OF SMELL ! ! !
MOUTH INCREDIBLY SHARP SHARP SHARP TEETH small tiny teeth USE SHARP TEETH TO CRUNCH AND CHEW MOTH FOOD INTO A SOUPY SOFT MASS BEFORE SWALLOWING ! have 2 sets of teeth deciduous and permanent
4 KINDS OF TEETH .. incisors .. canines .. premolars .. molars
22 DECIDUOUS TEETH also called milk teeth or baby teeth BABY TEETH ARE HOOKED SPICULES these hooks allow the spotted bat baby to firmly attach to mom's nursing nipples THESE HOOKS ALLOW THE BABY TO HOLD ONTO MOM EVEN IF SHE IS FLYING ! ! ! looses baby teeth very quickly
permanent teeth come in very early in the development of the little bat ! 38 ADULT TEETH
SPOTTED BATS HAVE REALLY REALLY REALLY STRONG JAWS !!!!
LARYNX ALL SOUNDS MADE IN LARYNX AND THEN SENT OUT THROUGH MOUTH MAKE 2 TYPES OF SOUNDS FOR .. ECHOLOCATION or COMMUNICATION
VIBRASSAE ON DIFFERENT PARTS OF THEIR BODIES HAVE TOUCH SENSITIVE stiff hairs .. whiskers .. bristles these touch sensitive vibrassae receptors help the spotted bats to catch food WHISKERS ARE LOCATED AROUND THE SPOTTED BATS NOSE AND MOUTH BRISTLES ARE LOCATED ON THE SPOTTED BATS FEET STIFF HAIRS ARE LOCATED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE SPOTTED BATS WINGS
SKELETON SKELETON IS SIMILAR TO OTHER MAMMALS very very similar to humans !!! HAVE HANDS WITH FINGERS HAVE FEET WITH TOES super light bones DO NOT HAVE HOLLOW BONES LIKE BIRDS have marrow filled bones like humans !
HAVE SUPER FLEXIBLE NECKS !!! vertebrae and muscles are really movable
WHILE HANGING UPSIDE DOWN .. CAN LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD AND THEN TURN HEAD TO LEFT OR RIGHT AND END UP LOOKING DIRECTLY BEHIND
THEN .. CAN ROLL NECK AND LOOK IN ANY DIRECTION NEEDED
wow !!!
most mammals including giraffes and bats have the same number of vertebrae in their necks ! GIRAFFES HAVE 7 NECK VERTEBRAE SPOTTED BATS HAVE 7 NECK VERTEBRAE
LEGS LEGS BEND BACKWARD .. they are turned at the pelvis outward .. so their knees face outward and a bit towards the back .. this helps them to hang upside down
FEET SPOTTED BATS HAVE 5 TOES ON EACH OF THEIR 2 FEET toes are also called digits long .. very strong EACH TOE HAS CLAW long .. curved .. very strong .. like a type of hook CAN HANG FROM rock ledges .. tiny crevices in rock walls USE AMAZING TOE CLAWS FOR ALL SORTS OF ACTIVITIES .. to climb around roosts .. using toe claws and thumbs together on all fours TO CLEAN AND COMB FUR TO CLEAN EYES TO CLING UPSIDE DOWN AND .. rest .. sleep .. hibernate TOE CLAW GRIP IS SO STRONG .. SO POWERFUL .. that they can hang by one foot while they clean themselves with the other foot TOES ARE IN DIGITAL LOCK WHEN HANGING digital lock is when toe digits lock in place grip is so strong .. stays even during sleep does not relax and open digital lock keeps them from falling while they sleep !
DIGESTIVE TRACT DIGEST FOOD EXTREMELY EXTREMELY FAST !! digest food more quickly than most other animals on planet Earth ! THE AMAZING FAST DIGESTION HELPS THEM TO NOT HAVE TO CARRY A LOT OF WEIGHT WHILE FLYING FROM UNDIGESTED FOOD !!!
METABOLISM SPOTTED BAT METABOLISM IS QUITE UNUSUAL METABOLISM OF ALL BAT SPECIES IS NOT LIKE OTHER MAMMALS breathing .. heartbeat .. body temperature ALL 3 VARY QUITE A LOT depending on what the bat is doing depending on temperature of where bat is SOMETIMES TEMPERATURE OF RESTING BATS IS EXACTLY TEMPERATURE OF SURROUNDINGS
CIRCULATORY SYSTEM SPECIAL VALVES IN VEINS PREVENT ACCUMULATION OF BLOOD IN HEAD ( otherwise blood would accumulate from roosting upside down )
TAIL USE THEIR TAIL for balance to help make sudden turns ( to change direction suddenly )
USE THEIR TAIL MEMBRANE as a brake when flying as a food catching pouch
THE AREA BETWEEN THE SPOTTED BAT'S LEG .. FOOT AND TAIL IS CALLED THE CALCAR
WINGS EVERY BAT SPECIES WINGS ARE DIFFERENT the shape thickness and length of species wings are determined by diet of that species EXAMPLE : flying foxes have long long wings .. these long wings help flying foxes to fly long distances in the open to locate fruits SPOTTED BATS WINGS DO NOT HAVE FUR when spotted bats wings are stretched out .. they are 3 - 4 times length of body greyish pink color
SPOTTED BATS WINGS ARE EXTREMELY SENSITIVE their wings collect information about their surroundings UNDERSIDES OF WINGS HAVE MANY TINY HAIRLIKE TOUCH RECEPTORS THAT HELP TO DETECT air turbulence temperature changes the warmth of an insect body THESE HAIRS DETECT AT ABOUT 6 INCHES AWAY FROM OBJECT WOW !!!
WING SKELETON the bones of the arms and hands of spotted bats are the foundation of wings UPPER ARM BONE IS SHORT 2 lower arm bones are elongated ( longer ) FINGER BONES ARE VERY ELONGATED thumb is quite short THUMB IS CLAW BONE AT TOP OF WING 4 long fingers and 1 short thumb are very very flexible !
FLIGHT MUSCLES PRIMARY FLIGHT MUSCLES .. ON .. CHESTS .. BACKS .. SHOULDERS skin membrane VERY muscular but muscles of wings do NOT power flight LESS ENERGY USED TO FLY BY USING MUSCLES ON BODY AND NOT ON WINGS !!! wings are 2 layers of skin membrane over the bones of .. arms .. hands .. fingers SKIN MEMBRANE CONNECTS WINGS TO .. BODY .. LEGS .. TAIL spotted bats wings very thin .. almost see through wings are .. smooth .. flexible .. elastic .. WINGS ARE very very very strong .. extremely tough ! ! ! if they were not they would be torn by thorns and twigs !
WHEN CLOSE THEIR WINGS .. the membrane muscles squeeze up and contract the skin pulls in close the skin in not loose
WINGS ARE LIKE WEBBED HANDS move their wings like humans move fingers CAN CHANGE SHAPE OF WINGS EXTREMELY QUICK !!! when flying can change direction extremely fast !!!
CHASE INSECTS grab with wings .. WOW !!!! ( this is an amazing site .. their wings are even better than human hands ! ) flip into tail membrane then scoop into mouth !!!! WOW !! WOW !!
WHEN READY TO FLY .. launch from tree perch or cave roost by releasing grip with toes head is already down towards ground then open wings .. WHEN THEY FLY .. pull themselves through the air .. the movement of their wings is like human swimming breast stroke .. NOT like birds flapping wings
FOR FLIGHT TO BE POSSIBLE .. streamlined body is necessary body has to be kept above ground .. need lift body has to propel through air .. need thrust both lift and propulsion achieved on down stroke of wings .. air moves faster over top of wings than on underside of wings increase lift by increasing speed of air over top of wing this is done by moving wings faster !!!
SPOTTED BATS CAN FLY AS FAST AS 60 MILES PER HOUR !!! can fly as high as 30 - 50 feet above the ground ( above the pine tree tops where they live and hunt ) SPOTTED BATS HAVE A DIRECT RAPID FLIGHT PATTERN !!
WHEN SPOTTED BATS REST OR SLEEP THEY FOLD THEIR WINGS OVER AND AROUND THEIR BODIES like a warm insulating blanket !!!
SPOTTED BATS HAVE SMALL LEGS AND SMALL PELVIS .. creates streamlined body .. legs used for flying more than walking
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LIFESPAN
BATS LIVE VERY LONG LIVES ! BIOLOGISTS ARE NOT SURE HOW LONG THE ELUSIVE SPOTTED BAT LIVES IT IS BELIEVED THAT THEY MAY LIVE UP TO 30 YEARS
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WHERE IN THE WORLD
SPOTTED BATS ARE NATIVE TO NORTH AMERICA
THE RANGE OF THE SPOTTED BAT IS FROM southwestern CANADA through the western UNITED STATES south into CENTRAL AMERICA
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HABITAT
SPOTTED BATS LIVE IN A WIDE RANGE OF HABITATS MOST OFTEN LIVE IN .. rough .. rocky .. semi-arid .. arid .. high cliffs .. canyons .. ponderosa pine forests .. woodlands .. scrub .. open desert
THEIR HABITAT HAS TO BE CLOSE TO WATER
spotted bats use all sorts of methods to gather information and make determinations ALONG WITH THEIR MEMORIES .. SPOTTED BATS USE VISUAL and ACOUSTIC CUES TO LOCATE SUITABLE ROOSTS
THE HOMES OF SPOTTED BATS ARE CALLED ROOSTS .. have 3 types .. day roost night roost hibernation roost
DAY ROOSTS ARE CRACKS AND CREVICES ON HIGH CLIFFS spotted bats leave their day roosts just as the sun is setting return 1 hour before sunrise
NIGHT ROOSTS ARE OFTEN IN PINE TREES mostly used for eating
HIBERNATION ROOSTS inside caves called HIBERNACULA
during winter spotted bats may get together in hibernation clusters clusters may consist of spotted bats from different areas that may be several miles apart clusters may consist of more species of bat than just spotted bats WHEN SOLITARY-ISH SPOTTED BATS CLUSTER FOR WINTER HIBERNATION they do not get too too close to each other .. just next to each other
CAVE TEMPERATURES ARE QUITE STEADY AND CONSTANT cave temperatures very rarely drop down to freezing cave temperatures usually remain .. 40 - 48 degrees Fahrenheit
VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE WINTER HABITS OF THE SPOTTED BATS it is not known for sure if spotted bats hibernate for the entire year or .. hibernate for brief intervals or .. if they migrate a bit
spotted bats at high elevations certainly hibernate for the longest duration
spotted bats at low to middle elevations certainly hibernate for short intervals but may remain active periodically throughout the winter
WHEN SPOTTED BATS SLEEP OR HIBERNATE THEY ARRANGE THEIR BODIES IN A SPECIAL WAY TO STAY WARM AND CONSERVE ENERGY spotted bats fold their long long ears back and tuck them under as they wrap their wings around their bodies IN THIS WAY SPOTTED BATS ARE NICE AND SNUG AND COSY AND TUCKED IN FOR REST TIME !!!! wow !!!
SPOTTED BATS PREPARE FOR HIBERNATION by entering mild torpor state during day time IN A TORPOR STATE metabolism rate slows down respiratory rate drops heart rate drops DURING THE NIGHT TIME SPOTTED BATS CONTINUE THEIR REGULAR HUNTING AND FORAGING FOR FOOD
SPOTTED BATS PREPARE FOR WINTER HIBERNATION BY EATING LOTS AND LOTS OF FOOD IN LATE SUMMER AND AUTUMN the spotted bat stores surplus food as body fat THE FAT WILL BE USED AS A SOURCE OF NUTRITION FOR THE BODY THROUGHOUT THE WINTER !
AT THE END OF WINTER HIBERNATION SPOTTED BATS ARE VERY THIN
DURING HIBERNATION .. the body temperature of spotted bats goes from 104 degrees Fahrenheit to as low as 32 degrees Fahrenheit ! BREATHING RATE DROPS FROM ABOUT 200 BREATHS PER MINUTE TO ABOUT 23 BREATHS PER MINUTE ! heart rate slows down from 900 beats per minute to 20 beats per minute !
ALL OF THESE CHANGES HAPPEN TO DECREASE ENERGY USE this makes it easier for spotted bats to stay alive at a time when they cannot find food ! ! !
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