Bats are known as the "things of the dark" and are associated with caves,
vampires, and blood. However, not all bats come out at night, many bats
live in trees, and only a few species drink blood (very rarely human blood,
usually livestock). Bats are feared and loathed by the general public due to
misconceptions in horror movies and the misguided fear of disease from
harmless species. Unfortunately, due to poisoning, destruction of
homelands, and interference by spelunkers, many species of beneficial bats
are endangered. For example, many species of endangered bats in the
rainforests are pollinators - the only pollinators - of endangered plants,
leading to the decline of potential medical plants. Bats are also beneficial in
that they control the mosquito population, and mosquitoes carry more
lethal diseases than bats ever will. Malaria alone kills millions of people each
year, and it is transmitted by the lowly anopheles mosquito.
Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly, with the wings being made up
of thin, stretched skin. They are generally rat-like in appearance, with a
small, furry body and small head. The ears vary in size and shape as does
the nose. Bats are considered to be pests because they can fit into thin space
(under the door, through the fireplace grill) and leave guano (bat droppings)
in the house. For some people this guano can pose as a major respiratory
problem. Bats greatly rely on echolocation to hunt. They feed on either
fruit, insects, or fish. There are 17 families of bats found in 2 suborders with
925 species. They are:
Suborder Megachiroptera (large bats, usually fruit eaters)
Suborder Microchiroptera (small, insect eating bats)
Pteropodidae (flying foxes, fruit bats) 165 spp
Rhinopomatidae (long-tailed bats) 3 spp
Craseonycteridae (bumblebee bats) 1 spp
Emballonuridae (sac-winged bats) 47 spp
Nycteridae (hollow-faced bats) 12 spp
Megadermatidae (false vampire bats) 5 spp
Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats, Old World leaf-nosed bats) 130 spp
Noctilionidae (bulldog bats) 2 spp
Mormoopidae (naked-backed bats) 8 spp
Phyllostomidae (New World leaf-nosed bats) 141 spp
Natalidae (funnel-eared bats) 5 spp
Furipteridae (thumbless bats) 2 spp
Thyropteridae (disc-winged bats) 2 spp
Myzopodidae (Old World sucker-footed bats) 1 spp
Vespertilionidae (vesper bats - evening bats) 319 spp
Mystacinidae (New Zealand short-tailed bats) 2 spp
Molossidae (free-tailed bats) 80 spp
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