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Examples

Bats

Bats are mammals. They are flying mammals. Bats are the only mammals which can fly. There are two types of bats, mega (large) bats and micro (small) bats.

Bats have brown or black fur. Bats have small pointed faces and large ears. They have strong chests and shoulders but they have thin hips and legs. They also have large wings. The wings of bats are made of skin, or membrane, which stretches over long finger bones. On the end of the thumb there is a claw.

The wings of mega bats are bigger than their bodies. Mega bats have good eyesight. Fruit bats and flying foxes are mega bats. These bats live in the tropical forests of India, Africa, Asia and Australia. Flying foxes are the largest bats in the world.

The wings of micro bats are smaller than the wings of mega bats. Micro bats have good hearing. They make short high-pitched sounds which bounce off nearby objects. Then they listen for the echo in order to 'see' where they are going. This is called echolocation.

There are micro bats all over the world. The smallest micro bats in the world live in Thailand. They are called bumblebee bats.

Most bats are insectivorous. They eat large quantities of insects so they help farmers and gardeners.

Fruit bats and flying foxes eat fruit and flowers. In South America there are vampire bats which feed on the blood of mammals and birds.

Bats are nocturnal. They fly and search for food at night. During the day they sleep, or roost. When they roost, bats hang upside down by their feet.

Bats usually roost inside dark, cold spaces, for example, inside caves or old buildings. Some bats, however, roost outside on trees or rocks. Usually bats fly and roost in groups. A group of bats is called a colony.

Bats are very clean. Every day they clean their teeth and wings, and they lick their fur like a cat.

Female bats usually bear one infant at a time. When they are born, the infants are blind, deaf and without fur. They grow quickly and become adults in about two months. Some bats can live for thirty years.

In the West people often think bats are scary and mysterious because they are nocturnal. But in Asia people think bats mean good luck and long life.