Did you know that while you’re fast asleep, bats are busy filling their bellies? Bats are nocturnal, meaning they are active at night. This way of life has many advantages for a bat. Insect-eating bats often feast on bugs that come out after dark. Pollen- and nectar- eating bats might feed on plants that only open at night. Nectar is a sweet liquid made by flowers.
Scientists call bats Chiroptera, a Creek name that means “hand wing”. That’s because bats have four fingers and a thumb just like us. A thin layer of skin connects the fingers. This forms a wing. Bats also have a sensitive nose and big ears. Their big ears help some bats see with sound.
In the pitch-black night, bats can scoop up a tiny insect with ease. No flashlight required! How do they do it? They make a sound that travels until it hits an object. Then, it bounces off the object and travels back to the bat. From this echo the bat can tell an object’s size and how far away it is. This is called echolocation.
Some bats have strange-looking faces. Special ears, noses, and mouths help bats tune into and make sounds while they use echolocation. Their faces may look odd to us, but for bats, their features work perfectly!
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