Bats
Bats are commonly known as the only mammals capable of sustained flight. But that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to interesting things about bats. For example, this chart has information about the scientific process of echolocation:
Just The Facts
- Bats are our friends. They play an important role in pollinating flowers and controlling pest insects such as mosquitos.
- Some bats have poor eyesight and navigate by sound. That's why we call them the "Dolphins of the Sky."
- Some bats live off of the blood of other animals, sometimes even other bats. Thus they are the only animal other than humans known to engage in LARPing.
Types of Bats
Note: This is a picture of two seperate bats.
There are two types of bats: Macrobats and Microbats. Some microbats are bigger than some macrobats, but the macrobats don't mind. Macrobats have good eyesight, are active during the day and eat fruit. Microbats use echolocation, are nocturnal, and often eat insects or drink blood.
Both types of bats can have extremely large ears. For hundreds of years science has been puzzled by the large ears on bats, and has only recently come up with the reason why. It is believed that at any given moment in time, someone somewhere is listening to Bauhaus. Bats evolved large ears to ensure that wherever they are, they will be able to hear it.
Bats Can Run
Bats in Popular Culture
No other animal has captured the imagination of mankind the way bats have. None.
Bats Love Variety
Bats are one of the most varied animals in the animal kingdom, with about 1,100 different species. That's about twenty percent of all of the different mammal species on Earth. Why do they have so many different species? No one knows.
Delayed Onset Pregnancy
Female bats have offspring on their terms. They store their mate's semen inside their womb until they feel it's time to have a child, at which point they add the semen to the egg. This may involve some kind of dance, or it may not.
Bats usually only have one child per pregnancy, since they are the only animal that has to be able to fly while pregnant. The end result looks like this:
For some reason this article gives me a painful hardon. Thanks Clicky and bats.
ReplyBats are some of the coolest animals. Thanks, Clicky.
ReplyDon't thank me. Thank bats.
Fruit Bats live in the trees in my parents' backyard. Hideous flying poo machines is one colloquialism the people of Ipswich and western suburbs of Brisbane have for the beasts. They are, in fact an industrial pest here. http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,24829110-3102,00.html
ReplyObserve newspaper article.
But that poop is actually really fertile and useful as, well, fertilizer.
Clicky inspired me to make a page of my own. It even features a bat. In fact, I'm going to start calling Clicky "the bat-man" from now on. It will be funny the first three times I do it, then it will just become tiresome.
ReplyHave I mentioned that this is a wonderful page? Because I just reread it, and it is even more wonderful than I remembered. Thank you, Clicky, for telling the world about bats!
Reply"with about 1,100 different species. That's about twenty percent of all of the different..."
Reply Hide All See All 3 Replies...Mammals. Just mammals, not whole animal kingdom. It's enough to be impressive. They're second order of mammals after rodents in number of species.
There are also few species of fishing bats. I saw some of them in French Guiana.
Thank you footbreaker. This topic page is now 82% more accurate.
Footbreaker, since you seem to know it all, do you know what noise a bat makes when it hits you in the chest?
Or for that matter, why my girlfriend had to be there at the time watching me flap my arms around comically after it occurred?
@sickandtired
probably something like "pock."
Franckly, except for vampire bats, which live in south america and prefer prey on sleeping cattle, i've never heard serious stories about bat attacking humans. They are very light and fragile animals, and if one hitted you, it was probably lost or confused.
Stop being frighten, they're just little things weighing a dozen of gramms.
Sorry for the double comment, but I was just sitting on my porch smoking a cigarette and something the size of a mans fist thumped into my chest and then it was gone! I think it was a BAT!!! Help! Since this is obviously everything there is to know about bats, I searched for it but I couldn't find it. What noise does a bat make when it runs into you in the dark?
ReplyBats are known as nature's pranksters. He probably read about your fear of bats on this page, (It is a popular web page among bats) and decided to play a joke on you. The answer is: a bat makes no sound when it runs into you in the dark. Or maybe squeek.
Another answer might be: If you've heard the bat, it's already too late.
I am terrified of bats. Since you made this topics page about it, despite it's informative quality, I am now terrified of you Clicky.
ReplyI was almost waiting for the Autobats, though.
ReplyI learned several new things about bats. Thank you, sir.
Reply Hide All See All 3 RepliesYou now know everything there is to know about bats.
Oh, thank god! I have an exam on bats this week.
You will be fine if you just use this handy mnemonic device: B.A.T.S = Bats Are The s**t