![]() ![]() They live in forests and wetlands as well as urban areas. Where do bats live?īats are found worldwide, except in polar regions and extreme deserts. The Bonin Pipistrelle, which was last seen in 1889 the Guam flying fox, which was last observed in the 1960s and the Lord Howe long-eared bat, which was last seen in 1972, are all classed as extinct. While some bat species are classed as ‘least concern’, others are critically endangered or have already gone extinct.Ĭritically endangered bat species include the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat, which has a population of fewer than 100 mature individuals Livingstone’s flying fox, which has around 1,300 mature individuals the New Caledonia long-eared bat, which has between 150 and 250 mature individuals and the Thongaree’s disc-nosed bat, of which accurate population numbers are unknown, though the population is reportedly decreasing. There are many species of bat, each with their own conservation status. The former can live nearly anywhere and mostly feed on insects or blood, while the latter live in the tropics and survive on a diet of fruit, nectar, and pollen. ![]() Though there are over 1,300 species of bats, they all fit into two main types: microbats and megabats. This name refers to a bat’s long fingers, which are connected by a thin membrane to form their wings. The scientific name for bats is Chiroptera, which means ‘hand wing’ in Greek. Insect-eating bats control insect populations, while fruit-eating bats disperse seeds and pollinate flowers. Females typically give birth to just one pup per year-but when 100 million females gather to give birth, that still results in a very large number of baby bats.īats and bat pups are indicators of a healthy ecosystem and help to maintain its balance. Though there are many bat species-and some have very large populations-these mammals have some of the slowest reproduction rates in the animal kingdom. Aside from polar regions and extreme deserts, bats can be found almost anywhere on Earth, as they live off a wide range of diets, from the blood of large animals to flying insects, fruit, and even fish. They come in various shapes and sizes, from the tiny bumblebee bat that weighs less than two grams to the flying fox, which has a wingspan of up to 1.5 metres. Bats are one of the largest groups of mammals on the planet, with around 1,300 recognised species in the order Chiroptera.
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