Going Batty

Keep reading to learn why many people try to attract bats to their yards and neighborhoods.

1 Some animals have good reputations. Most people think of dogs as being friendly and reliable. Kittens are sweet and cuddly. Everyone loves dolphins, seals, and chimpanzees. Other animals, such as bats, do not have nearly as positive a reputation. Many people are frightened of bats and believe that the small flying creatures will become tangled in their hair or give them rabies. There are many myths and superstitions surrounding bats. All of this makes it difficult for educators to get out the word that bats are actually wonderful, useful, and amazing creatures.

2 More than 1,100 species of bats can be found in almost every region of the world, except for the extreme polar and desert regions. Bats, the only flying mammals in the world, vary in size, coloring, and habits. The smallest bat in the world has a wingspan of only two inches and weighs less than a penny. The largest bat has a wingspan of about six feet. Most bats eat insects, but some species feed on fruit, pollen, and nectar, and others eat small animals like fish, frogs, and rodents. Although many scary stories tell of vampire bats, in reality, only three species out of more than one thousand survive on the blood of other animals.

3 Bats are useful creatures. They consume large quantities of insects every evening. A single common brown bat can eat as many as 2,000 insects a night. Imagine how many more mosquito bites you would have each summer if bats were not busy patrolling the night sky.

4 In addition, some bats pollinate plants and flowers. They suck the nectar from one plant and then transfer the plant’s pollen when they move on to feed from another plant. In rain forests, bats drop plant seeds as they move, which allows new plants to grow. In regions where the rain forests are in danger, bats perform a very important task, because they insure that new growth will replace plants and trees that have been cut down or destroyed.

5 Because bats are nocturnal creatures, they have the difficult task of flying and catching all their meals in total darkness. This does not present much of a problem for them, though, because they use a special technique called echolocation. Bats emit very high-pitched sounds that bounce off objects, no matter how small they are. Bats use the reflected sounds to form pictures in their brains of where things are located. It might not sound like a simple process, but it is obviously very effective. After all, they can find a mosquito flying through the air in complete darkness.

6 The next time you see the flutter of wings in the sky at dusk, there is no need to run for cover. Instead, think about the good deeds that bats perform for human beings and think about their incredible diversity. Maybe you’ll even decide to build a bat house in your backyard to encourage the furry flying creatures to take up residence nearby.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

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1. Explain how echolocation works.

2. What is the author trying to persuade the reader of in this selection?

3. How can you encourage bats to live near your home?

4. Why do you think some people are afraid of bats?

5. Write two ways in which species of bats may differ from one another.

Write T before the sentences that are true. Write F before the sentences that are false.

6. _____ Some bats pollinate plants and flowers.

7. _____ More than 3,000 species of bats exist.

8. _____ Bats are nocturnal creatures.

9. _____ The smallest bat in the world weighs less than a penny.

10. _____ Bats feed only on insects.

11. Check the phrase that best describes the author’s purpose.

to instruct _____ to inform to entertain

12. In paragrah 6, the author mentions bats’ “incredible diversity. ” What does this mean?

13. After reading the article, has your opinion of bats changed? Explain.

Spectrum Reading Grade 6

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