Have you ever wanted to learn about bats? Well, I did. So after reading Anne Earle's fabulous book, Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats, I learned that bats are innocuous, useful and interesting mammals. Let me tell you what I have assimilated.
Bats are considered nefarious by many people but they are actually very timid and friendly. Bats are also considered good luck in China. Many emperors like to have illustrations of bats on their possessions in order to bring them serendipity. Some kids in Midfield, Alabama even formed a club called B.A.T. which is an acronym for Bats Are Terrific. The purpose of the club is to inform people how harmless and useful bats are to people.
Speaking of usefulness, let me illustrate how bats are helpful to humans. Since bats are insectivores (eat only insects), they prey on bugs that bother humans like the menacing mosquito. Bats at Bracken Cave, near San Antonio, Texas, eat approximately 500,000 lbs. of insects a night! That is equal to 250 tons!! That is useful because those insects could have obliterated farmers' crops and people's plants. Also, bats help humans by pollinating flowers and allowing the fruit to grow.
Bats are interesting too! Most bats use echolocation. This is when the bat finds the location of an object or prey by sending out sound waves and listening for the echo. There is at least one bat that does not use echolocation. It is the California Leaf-nosed bat. This bat listens for the insect's footsteps or wing beats to find its meal. Another interesting detail about bats is that they are expert fliers. These mammals also use their wings to catch a scrumptious refection. The prey gets caught in the bat's wing membrane and the bat flips it onto its stomach and then gobbles it up. Next, bats hang upside down in caves, under viaducts, and some attics. They use their talons to get a grip of the ceiling. While hanging upside down, they may choose to sleep or groom themselves. Bats keep themselves as clean as cats by using their tongues to keep themselves immaculate. The last interesting detail that you may want to know is that some spelunkers accidentally kill bats by waking them during their hibernation. When the cave explores wake up the bats, the bats have to use a copious amount of fat to find a new resting spot. Now they won't have enough stored up food (or fat) to make it until spring.
Now that you have read my report about Anne Earle's fabulous book, Zipping, Zapping, Zooming Bats, I hope you have learned that bats are innocuous, useful and interesting.