To begin with, we note that bats are the only mammals on Earth that can fly! Once zoologists have allocated them in a separate unit - bats. So, the topic of today's article is bats. We will find out what a bat eats, how it looks and where it lives.
Why bats?
The fact is that their “wings” are paws with long phalanges of the fingers connected by a leathery membrane. It stretches like a membrane and turns the animal’s foot into a “wing”.
Origin theory
The first bats appeared on our planet fifty million years ago. The found skeleton of the very first bats, Ikaronikteris, suggests that these animals lived already in the Eocene period. Today, scientists put forward the theory of the origin of bats from insectivorous animals that live on trees.
What does a bat look like?
First, note that these creatures can differ markedly from each other in appearance and size. However, despite the fact that bats eat, where they live and how they look, all of them are representatives of one squad of animals on our planet. Its name is bats. Do not confuse them with flying squirrels, which, by the way, do not even fly independently, but simply plan from branch to branch! So, what do our heroes look like?
They have an ugly face. Their body is covered with a little wool. The abdomen is usually lighter than the back. The wingspan of the arms varies depending on the type of animal: from 15 centimeters (ginger evening) to … 2 meters (Bismarck fox)! Wing arms have the same structure regardless of the type of mouse. The shoulders of bats are quite powerful, and the long forearm consists of only one bone - the radius. Can you imagine ?! Their big short finger is opposed to the four others and ends with a hooked claw.
What does a bat eat?
Almost all species of these creatures are insectivorous. But, as you know, insects are the most numerous class of animals on Earth. Therefore, the answer to the question of what the bat eats is quite extensive: some prefer butterflies and midges, others prefer spiders and beetles, others prefer dragonflies, and some prefer tree larvae. Let's find out how bats get their livelihood.
Usually, all bats capture their prey on the fly in the air, but some of them can rationally use their wing hands: they work with them like a net or blades, thus raking the prey closer to themselves. Almost all mice eat on the fly, only some species have learned to lead a more imposing lifestyle: after hunting, they comfortably settle in their favorite place for a thorough meal.
Lifestyle
Despite the variety of species of these creatures, their lifestyle is surprisingly similar: almost all bats are awake at night, and sleep during the day, hanging their heads down. Note that these creatures do not make nests (like birds). Most bats have a collective lifestyle; there are few hermits among them.
When winter comes, bats hibernate, waiting for the cold time in the most secluded and hidden places of Mother Nature: in caves, abandoned mines, in hollows of trees and in crevices of rocks.
What does a bat eat in winter? The answer is simple: nothing. To winter and not to starve, mice actively accumulate fat. Often its mass is about a third of the mass of the whole body. And you can’t wake up mammals at the time of hibernation - in most cases, this action will lead to the death of the animal, since the energy source has already been used up, and there is nowhere to take new food. Asleep a second time, the mouse may no longer wake up.
