Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Like all mammals they feed their young ones milk. We don’t see bats very often because they usually fly around only at night. During the daytime they hang in dark rooms of buildings, caves, hollow trees and other dark places.

There are about 900 types of bats. They live all over the world except in colder regions. You can often find them in groups, called colonies. If you see one bat flying around there are probably others nearby.

 

Physical features
Bats can grow to be big or small. The largest ones have a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres; others are only 15 cm wide. The mouth of a bat is similar to the one of a rat or fox. They have large, pointed ears and grey or brown fur.

Bats have long arms and hands with especially long fingers. These are connected to the legs with membranes, which form their wings. The muscles in them make it easy for a bat to fly. When taking a rest a bat usually hangs upside down with its claws connected to a hard surface.

 

How bats live
Bats are creatures that are only active at night. They sleep during the daytime and come out at night in search of food. Flying around at night means meeting fewer enemies and being able to catch more insects than during the day because they don’t have to compete with birds for food. Some bats eat insects, fruit and pollen ; others are meat eaters that feed on birds and smaller bats.