There are about a thousand varieties of bats throughout the world. The greatest number are in Central and South America, but many are also in North America, Europe and other countries. Some have a wingspan of more than five feet, and a few weigh more than a pound. Most are much smaller.
They are the only mammals that can truly fly. (There are some squirrels and lemurs that appear to fly but are actually just gliding from tree to tree.) Although bats are not birds, they have been provided with wings made of thin skin stretched over delicate “finger” bones and muscles. Their most amazing feature is the different head shapes.
Bats “see” in the dark by producing high-pitched twittering sounds through their mouths and noses. These sound waves strike objects and bounce back immediately to the bat. Then the bat’s large ears send the sounds to the brain, where the bat can identify and avoid whatever is in its way or eat it, if it’s an insect. In this way they not only avoid bumping into things, but they can also identify a moth, a frog or other creatures they catch for food.
To rephrase, bats fly with their fingers and “see” with their ears, enabling them to find their way through the most difficult places, even in the darkest night. Another unusual feature is that they do not actually have nests; they hang upside down, holding onto the edge of a rock wall, a timber or other support. Even newborn bats do this without being taught.
Bats are most common in warm climates. A favorite place to see them is the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico where visitors often have an opportunity to see thousands of them flying out of the caves as darkness takes over. A similar place is the Blowing Wind Cave of Alabama, where about 500,000 gray bats live.
Following is a brief description of some of these interesting flying animals:
One named Kitti’s hog-nosed bat, a native of Thailand, is the world’s smallest, weighing less than an ounce. The largest is the flying fox, also in Thailand. Some of these weigh more than two pounds and have wingspans up to five feet across.
The greater horseshoe bat has a very red face, legs and claws, along with almost-transparent, huge wings, which in some varieties are white; others are light green or light tan.
The fishing bat, especially fond of minnows, locates its prey with sonar and snares it with oversized claws. The very faint noise of ripples on the water made by the minnow swimming near the surface tells the bat where to find it.
Our Creator God has given us many amazing and unique creatures to enjoy.
(to be continued)
ML-11/26/2006