![]() ![]() ![]() 1-3 litters per season depending on the species and environmental condition (e.g.Most bats have a breeding season – spring for species living in temperate climates.Predators of bats include bat hawks and bat falcons.Fission-fusion social structure among several species: ‘Fusion’ refers to a large numbers of bats that congregate in one roosting area, and ‘fission’ refers to the breaking up and mixing of subgroups, with individual bats switching roosts with others and often ending up in different trees with different roostmates.Social structures vary – some are solitary while others live in caves colonized by more than a million bats.Bats rarely fly in the rain as it interferes with echolocation and they are unable to locate food.Others retreat to caves for winter and hibernate in six months Large portion of bats migrate hundreds of kilometres to winter hibernation dens, some pass into torpor in cold weather, rousing and feeding when warm weather allows for insects to be active.Bats can travel distances of up to 800km to hunt for food.Bats are nocturnal creatures they hunt during the night, daytime spent grooming, resting or sleeping.If bats were to become extinct, the insect population is calculated to reach an alarmingly high number.A group of one thousand bats could eat four tons of insects each year.Each bat is able to consume 1/3 of its body weight in insects each night, and several hundred insects in a few hours.3 species of bats, known as vampire bats, feed on blood.Few others feed on animals other than insects.About 70% are insectivores, most of the rest are frugivores (fruit eaters).Bat roosts can be found in hollows, crevices, foliage, and even human-made structures, and include ‘tents’ the bats construct by biting leaves (insert pic).Two basic requirements: Roosts (where they spend the day or hibernate) and places for foraging.Different species select different habitats during different seasons, ranging from seasides to mountains and even deserts.Largest bats are a few species of Pteropus (fruit bats or flying foxes) and the giant golden-crowned flying fox (up to 1.6kg and wingspan up to 1.7m).Smallest bat (arguably the smallest extant mammal) is the Kitti’s hog-nosed bat (29-34mm in length, 15cm across the wings, 2-2.6g in mass).Present throughout most of the world with the exception of extremely cold regions.
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