In light of an interesting Sunday at church, I have posted a list of fun facts about Bats for the reading pleasure of others.... After getting Bats out of my house, little did I know that they would take over God's house as well..... But... It makes for an interesting coversation....
ps- Thank you to our dear friend Bert James, who hid his secret skill of catching bats from us while we tried for weeks to get Bats out of our house... Way to go Bert. Because of you, the church is now safe again!
BAT FACTS TO THROW AROUND AT PARTIES
-bats can live up to 30 years
-bats are warm blooded
-bats nurse their babies with milk
-But bats are very special mammals. They are the only mammals that can fly (without an airplane!) Flying squirrels are mammals too, but they don't really fly. They jump from high in a tree glide through the air like a kite.
-Bats feed at night (they are "nocturnal") and spend the day sleeping in caves or in tree tops...or as i've found... attics in houses... or churches..
-The place where a bat sleeps is called its "roost".
-Bats hang UPSIDE DOWN from their roosts when they sleep.
-Although some bats roost in groups of only one or two, for the most part bats are very sociable animals. They usually sleep together in huge groups.
-Some caves may be home to thousands of bats. The largest bat colony in the world is in Bracken Cave, Texas. During the summer, this cave is home to as many as 20 MILLION Mexican free-tailed bats. That's a LOT of bats!
-During spring, bats return from migration or awaken from hibernation and the females begin having baby bats called "pups".
-Bat pups are tiny when born, but grow up fast. Some species are flying and hunting on their own within a month of birth.
-Bats, like people, usually only have one baby at a time although on occasion they'll have twins.
-Pups are born without hair -- they look tiny, scrawny and pink. They drink milk from their mothers like all mammals do. They are born with strong legs and claws because they have to hang on to mom when she's roosting and to the cave when she's not there. If the baby looses its grip and falls, it will die.
-Bats don’t ‘carry’ rabies, however, they are capable of catching the disease just like any other mammal. Less than one-half of one percent of bats actually contract the disease. In reality, more people die annually from contact with household pets than have died from contact with bats in all recorded history. This doesn’t mean that it’s okay to touch or handle bats, as they may be afraid and bite in self-defense
-bats will eat up to 1200 mosquitos an hour!
*** To find out how to help bats in your area visit www.batcon.org ***
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