Meet Our Extended Family

Bats

Animals can feel empathy just like humans do. Empathy for each other, for us, and even for other species.

1. Bats can live more than 30 years and can fly at speeds of 60 miles per hour (or more!). 2. More than half of the bat species in the United States are in severe decline or listed as endangered. 3. Some bats hibernate in caves through the cold winter months. 4. Females are so dedicated to the task of motherhood that to cope with the challenges of pregnancy and carrying their young, their anatomy and behavior are slightly different than males. 5. Bat mothers like the greater spear-nosed bat, Phyllostomus hastatus, form colonies where females take care of the offspring of other females while the mothers fly outside the roost to look for food. 6. Mother bats often fly with their pups. The young cling to their mother's underarm nipple with their mouths and hang onto her waist with their toes. 7. Baby bats are called pups! Most bats have only one pup a year. 8. A group of bats is called a colony. 9. Bats are very social animals that use complex systems of navigation and finding food requires a lot of learning and development. 10. The world’s largest bat is the "flying fox", which lives on islands in the South Pacific. 11. Without bats, say goodbye to bananas, avocados and mangoes. Over 300 species of fruit depend on bats for pollination. 12. Bats are the only flying mammal. 13. Like cats, bats clean themselves. Far from being dirty, bats spend a lot of time grooming themselves. 14. Bats are inspiring medical marvels. About 80 medicines come from plants that rely on bats for their survival. 15. Most bats use sound to ‘see’ the world around them. This nifty navigation system is called echolocation! 16. Ancient civilizations worshipped bat-like gods. 17. When in flight, bats hearts beat 1,000 times a minute! 18. Some bats choose to live alone, getting together only for mating purposes. But the majority of species gather together in colonies of 100+, and it’s common also to see them living together in the thousands. 19. Many people refer to bats as “flying mice,” but in truth bats are more closely related to humans than they are to rodents. 20. Bats are the second largest group of mammals in the world and consist of over 1,300 species.