Bats are sometimes thought of as spooky symbols, but bats are much more. They should not be feared. Bats are gentle and helpful. There are over 1,400 species of bats. Bats hunt their prey at night, which means bats are nocturnal. Their wings function like a human hand. They have sensitive hearing and make high-pitch sounds to talk to one another. Bats protect the environment through pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal.
Bats are insectivores, which means they eat insects. Bats can eat up to 1,000 bugs an hour. This prevents insects from destroying fruits and vegetables. Bats also help with pollination and seed dispersal. Bats drink nectar from flowers and eat seeds from fruit. They move pollen from one plant to another. Seeds dropped by bats traveling long distances help with new growth. The place a bat lives is called its roost. Some bats roost in hollow trees, others like caves. Bats hang upside down when they sleep. They hang high above the ground away from predators. A bat’s roost is vital for its survival.
What Do You Think? How do you think bats are able to move around so well in the dark? Research to learn more.
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Photo Credit: (t)Shutterstock / Ricardo Reitmeyer, (b)Charles Melton/Alamy Stock Photo
