Scientists have found that bats are one of the most ancient inhabitants of the planet, because they have been living on Earth for almost 50 million years! Their ancestors, known as ikaronikterisy, practically did not differ from modern species. How the mice developed the ability to fly, scientists could not understand, but for now they assume that they came from insectivores that led their lives in trees.
Appearance
Representatives of different species may vary in size and color, but any bat looks so characteristic that it is simply impossible to confuse it with another animal.
Her body is covered with short hair, which on the abdomen has a lighter shade. The wingspan varies from 15 centimeters to 2 meters, their shape may vary significantly, but the structure always remains the same.
The bat has well-developed forelimbs, short strong shoulders and a very long forearm, which is formed by only one radius. She has very long fingers - of which the big ends with a sharp hooked claw, and the rest serve to maintain the lateral membranes of the wings.
The length of the tail and body shape may vary depending on the type of bats, but they all have a bony outgrowth, which is also called a spur. With it, the wings of the animal unfold to the tail.
They fly with the help of synchronous flaps of membranous wings. And at rest, the wings are tightly pressed against the body.
Lifestyle
Although bats live in a variety of natural conditions, their habits coincide remarkably - they lead an exclusively nocturnal lifestyle, and in the daytime they sleep, hanging upside down.
The bat prefers to live in large groups, loneliness is not to her taste.
In winter, these animals spend hibernation, hiding from the cold in secluded places and covering themselves with wings, and the warm season is reserved for them to create and feed offspring.
Most often, the bat is found in caves, dark mountain crevices, abandoned mines, tree hollows, old uninhabited houses.
She spends most of her wakefulness gathering food, and she uses the rest time to put herself in good order, to clean her wings, abdomen and chest.
All bats have the natural gift of echolocation, thanks to which they can perfectly navigate in space and “see” even the finest wires and small ripples in the water raised by fish.
What do bats eat?
Mostly they eat insects, but everyone’s taste preferences are different: some species like butterflies and midges, others like spiders and beetles, others hunt dragonflies, and some prey on tree larvae. They often grab their prey on the fly, and some use their wings as a net, picking up insects and sending them into their mouths.
A bat can be carnivorous, but there are very few of these species. Small rodents and small birds eat. There are several species that catch and eat fish.
The image of a vampire bat also did not appear out of the blue: in South America there are species that feed exclusively on the blood of animals and people. They make a small incision on the skin of their victim and suck out some blood. This is not fatal at all, and can be dangerous only because of the possibility of contracting rabies - as you know, a bat is a carrier of this disease.
So you should not be afraid of these animals at all - all the terrible stories about them are too exaggerated, if not invented.
