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BATS

Posted on by Gillian Sharma

In this week’s recommended podcast, we have a song about a few animals that hibernate. We sing about bats. Here is some information about bats I thought you might enjoy.

BAT FACTS
 A long time ago, people used to think bats were birds. They are mammals
just like we are mammals. But bats are the only mammals that can fly.
 Bats are nocturnal creatures. This means they feed at night time and spend
most of the day time sleeping. When bats sleep they hang upside down,
often in trees or caves.
 Baby bats are called pups. Like all mammals, they drink milk from their
mothers. Baby bats look tiny and pink when they are born, as they do not
yet have any hair. However, they are born with strong legs and claws
because they have to hang on to their moms!
 As bats go hunting for food in the dark they can’t rely on their eyes to see
what is out there. Instead, they make high-pitched squeaking sounds. The
sounds bounce back to the bats when they hit something. The bat hears the
“echo” and knows something is there. This is how they find food and are
able to fly around in the dark without crashing into buildings or trees.
 There are over 900 different species of bats. The smallest bat is the
bumblebee bat and the biggest bat is the flying fox bat. The bumblebee bat
weighs about the same as a penny. When its wings are stretched out, it is
about six inches across. The flying fox bat weighs around two pounds and
can have a wingspan of three feet!
(Parents, perhaps you can show the comparative weights and wingspans of these
bats. Find something in your pantry that weighs two pounds, and a penny, and
then let your child feel the difference. Similarly, measure out the bats’ wingspans
with string or yarn. Quite a difference!)