Bats are awesome. I mean, look at this face, what’s not to love?
Apparently many people think that there’s a lot not to love but that’s just batty! Hopefully
by the end of this episode you’ll be able to appreciate bats even just a little bat more.
Bats are the only mammal in the world capable of true, sustained flight. Yes,
I hear you murmuring amongst yourselves on the other side of the screen,
“what about flying squirrels?” but really flying squirrels are just gliders. Remember in retro
Spyro how the only way you could truly make him fly was in the special flying levels or with a
power-up (or by hacking that one pond and swimming in the air, oh yeah!). Well, flying squirrels are
kind of like the retro Spyro and bats are like Spyro from the special flight levels or with the
power-up. Hopefully my age isn’t showing and that didn’t go over a lot of people’s heads.
Okay, if you’re not already, sit down for this one:
there are considered to be more than 1,000 species of bats in the world. Let that
number sink in as I tell you there are just over 5,000 different species of mammals in the world,
which bats are for those of you thinking they’re some weird beak-less, furry bird. Yes,
you’re hearing those numbers correctly. When you get down to more specific values,
bats make up nearly ¼ of the individual species of mammals on the planet. That’s a lot of bats!
And yet, most of us are lucky to barely catch a glimpse as they zoom by in their nightly foraging.
So what gives? Well, a lot of it does deal with the fact that bats are nocturnal.
You’re less likely to see something when you’re eyes are closed and you’re asleep…
unless you’re into that astral projection stuff. They’re also not always out all year
round. When temperatures get too cold for little bat bodies they take to migrating
to warmer areas or entering a form of hibernation-like sleep called torpor.
This is significant to note because large populations of bats across North America
are being affected by what is called “white nose syndrome.” Bats in torpor can survive
even after being turned into batsicles, but white nose syndrome absolutely ruins them.
What happens is that a fungi coats the nose and ears of a bat and basically irritates it so much
during its long sleep that it wakes up. Insects, which are typically a bat’s main source of food,
are scarce or non-existent during colder months so the bat has no way to sustain itself and dies.
And while not all bats are as susceptible to this fungi and are capable of living through
the colder months while under infection, due to their colonization nature it makes it easier
to spread and affect more bats. It’s because of this that many bat species are considered
vulnerable or endangered. The best thing you can do to help bats and alleviate the spread
is by not wandering into caves where bats may be resting as we can be carriers of the fungi.
Speaking of caves, a vast majority of bats live in caves in groups called colonies that can number
in the millions! They can also be found in trees, hallows, abandoned buildings and even some not so
abandoned buildings. Actually is pretty widely assumed that just having a bat flying over an
individual’s head can spread rabies but there’s never been a documented case of this. Really,
if you find a bat in your house you can usually just open the windows and doors and it’ll find its
own way out. If a colony has taken up residence… well at least you’ll have less mosquitos??
Most bats eat insects though some eat fruit, nectar, small animals like lizards and frogs,
fish and yes, of course, some drink blood. Now, here’s something you might find interesting,
if not, oh well, I’m gonna tell ya anyway: only three species of bats are considered “vampire
bats” and they all live in Central and South America. They’re they only mammals in the world
that subsist entirely on blood and the way they obtain it is by creating a very small incision in
another mammal an lapping up the liquid. In fact, the legend of vampires predate the discovery of
vampire bats so that acquired the name because of the legend and not the other way around.
In general bats can be found nearly anywhere in the world with the exceptions of some islands,
deserts and icy landscaped areas. They usually have one pup per litter but different species
can have more and, although they’re small like rodents (who they are not in anyway related to),
they can live more than 30 decades. The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat who weighs about 0.07
ounces (2 grams) on average and is about 1.25 inches long (3.18 cm). The largest bat,
and my personal favorite is the flying fox who has a wingspan that can reach up to six feet (1.83
meters) and weigh more than two pounds (0.91 kilograms). What’s your favorite bat species?
There’s a lot more information on bats if you want to follow the links in the description.
Be sure to tell us if you have a favorite animal you’d like to see covered on the show!
Thank you very much for watching and remember, you’d be batty not to like this video!