Did You Know…
- Bats are the only flying mammals (flying squirrels are also mammals, but they don’t fly, technically they glide)
- Bat wings are similar to the human hand
- One bat can eat between 2,000 and 6,000 insects in a night
- Bats that drink nectar are important pollinators of some crops and flowers
- Fruit bats are important for seed dispersing
- Some species of bats have been recorded flying at speeds of over 50 miles per hour
- Bats can have twins
- They live a very long time, between 10-30 years old
- The oldest bat fossil is recorded to be 52 million years old
- When bats hang upside down, their blood does not rush to their head because they do not weigh enough for gravity to affect them
- Half of all bat species are either threatened or endangered due to habitat destruction, pollution, and human persecution
- Some bats are hunted illegally and sold for meat
- Few bats actually contract rabies; it is deadly to them as well as humans
Why Bat Houses are Important:
- Bats are beneficial to our ecosystem as a whole
- Bats eat thousands of crop-killing pests, mosquitoes, and other insects a night
- More bats eating insects means less insecticides in our environment
- Bat houses provide a safe alternative to bats occupying human dwellings
- Bat’s natural habitats are disappearing and their populations are declining
Learn more about Bat House options here.
Click here for other beneficial habitats
Learn More about bats at: http://www.batconservation.org/
