Southeastern Outdoors

Bats are the only members of the mammal family that can fly. Like all mammals they have fur and are warm blooded. They also give live birth and produce milk for their babies.
Bats are in the scientific order Chiroptera (kie-rop-ter-a), which means 'hand-wing' and are known to live from 10 to 32 years.

Bats are widely distributed throughout the US, we have a list of bat species by state. Some bat species such as the Indiana bat are considered endangered. Primary reasons for populations declines include - habitat loss, pesticides, predation, and roost disturbance.

While most people generally think of bats living in caves, in the summer time many species of bats actually live behind bark, in tree's, jungles, and man made structures such as buildings, barns, and bridges.

Bats provide an extremely important service for the environment in that they eat large quantities insects. In fact some bats can eat as many as 1,200 insects in one hour. Since some insects such as misquotes carry diseases including the West Nile Virus and other insects like Cucumber Beatles and moths can cause severe crop damage, bats are doing humans a huge favor as well.

Bat Facts:

• There are more than 1,100 bat species.
• 70% of bats are insectivores.
• Bats make up almost 25% of all mammal species.
• a single brown bat can catch more than 1,200 insects per hour

Related Links & Resources:
● Rafinesque’s Big-eared Bat Study Marks Favored Habitats
● Indiana Bat Tests Positive For White-nosed Fungus
● White-nose Syndrome
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