TOP 5 FACTS ABOUT BATS.
IT'S ABSOLUTELY BATTY!
Bats are fascinating creatures that have been linked to a not always pleasant reputation. Being that they are iconic to Halloween and vampires, they stir up the imagination and interest in all of us. With the Halloween season approaching, I knew a bat thematic unit for our home school studies would fit the bill, and more importantly not keep my young learners in the dark about the facts on these dark loving creatures.
LET'S TAKE FLIGHT.
So off I went to my cave, a.k.a. our class room, to bring together a fun and engaging lesson plan all centered around bats. As my researching took flight, I was reminded of how bats serve a greater purpose than just as a spooky Halloween decoration. The colony of facts I was gathering up was mounting, so I picked some important highlights about bats that would shed some light (not that bats would love that!) and lift the stigma around them.
Here's 5 amazing facts right off the bat!
CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
Most bats are nocturnal. They sleep during the day in caves, cracks and crevices, or old buildings, then forge for food at night. This way, bats avoid predators in the cover of night. It's true that most bats avoid daylight, each type of species can handle varied amount of light.
ALL EARS
As we know, bats use echolocation, but why? Bats use echolocation to navigate and find insect prey. Bats create sound waves, called ultrasound, at a higher frequency than the human ear can detect. These sound waves bounce off objects around them and return back to the bat's ears that the bat can identify as its own unique call.
WRAPPED UP
We often see images of bats wrapped up in their wings. One reason for this is to stay warm. They wrap their wings around themselves to trap air in which creates a natural insulation. There's another reason bats will wrap their wings though, and that is to hold food while they eat.
A BAD WRAP
With their fangs, claws, and beady eyes, bats get a bad wrap. Although seemingly creepy, they serve a great function and purpose in the world. With over 1,300 types of bats in the world, they make up the second largest group of mammals and the only mammal that can fly. Mircobats consume millions of insects at night which serves as a natural pest control. Nectar drinking bats help with pollination so plants can produce fruit. Fruit eating bats aid in dispersing seeds which helps forest grow. Whether creepy creatures or not, bats play a vital role in the ecosystem.
HANG TIME
Why exactly bats hang upside down is something still questioned by researchers today. One theory is that it puts the bat in an ideal position for take-off. Since they can not take flight from the ground, such like birds, hanging upside down gives bats the ability to drop in to flight. Another theory for their hang time is that it gives them the advantage to hide from predators and danger too. Bats will hang upside down to hibernate and even upon death.
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