BATS- THE NOCTURNAL CREATURES

Did you know??

• · The largest bat is giant flying fox with wingspan of 6 feet and weighs about 1 kg.
• · Bats lives in colonies called roosts. A mother bat produces one pup a year.
• · Bats have muscles and circulatory systems that are well adapted to make their upside-down life easy.
• · All bats are not blind. Fruit bats have good vision.
• · Bats do not attack humans. People feel uneasy when they swoop down to catch insects.
• · Like cats bats are clean animals. They groom themselves several times a day.
• · Bats are not a bad omen. In some parts of Asia and Europe they are considered lucky.
• · Bats are important to forests as they pollinate and disperse seeds.
• · In total darkness bats can detect everything by echolocation- even objects as thin as human hair.
• · Like cats, male bats also mark their territories and themselves with strong smelling urine.

About:

This is the international year of the bat. Without these creatures we would have less food to eat. This is because, bats spread seeds far and wide, resulting in more food and shade. Bats also eat harmful insects and rats thereby reducing vectors that spread diseases. The only mammals that can fly, they come from both tropical and temperate regions. Mostly black and brown, they can also be seen in orange, yellow, silver, white, grey and some also have spots and stripes on their body and wings. A bat’s home is called a roost. They do not make nests or burrows. They are of two kinds- fruit bats (megachiroptera) and insect bats (michroc hiroptera). There are 14 kinds of fruit bats in south Asia alone. Fruit bats are also called flying foxes. They usually feed on fruits and smaller insects. Insect bats use echoes to detect objects and other creatures and hence have modified ears.

Bat walk:

The Madras Crocodile Bank Trust in Chennai recently organized a bat walk where in they had been to a village that hosts a banyan tree housing colony of bats. A few years ago there were hundreds but now their numbers are decreasing. The people of the villages have stopped allowing hunting and killing of bats. They do not allow bursting of crackers and intrusion. Bat dropping is good fertilizer and they help in spreading of seeds. They also make home for many small animals. This by itself forms a good eco system. Substances from bat droppings are used to make laundry soaps and other products.

What can we do??

• · Save forests.
• · Do not disturb trees, caves or buildings that have bats.
• · Do not cut trees that have roosts.
• · Talk to people about bats’ usefulness.
• · Avoid using chemicals in your gardens.