Page 18 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Bats (order Chiroptera) are flying mammals and are the only mammals capable of winged
flight. There is around 1,400 species spread across multiple genera in 14 families*. Bats are found in
every country across the globe except the Arctic, Antarctic and a few isolated Oceanic islands. They
range in size from the largest, the flying fox (or Fruit
bats) that weighs around 1.6 kg with a wingspan of
about 1.7 metres, to the smallest, Kitti's hog-nosed
bat (the bumblebee bat) with a mass of 2g and a
wingspan of around 150mm. Bats are believed to
have appeared around 32 to 56 million years ago,
however, due to the fragile nature of bats they do
not fossilize well and this estimate is based on
bats teeth found and are known to come from that
era.

Although some species like the Old
World fruit bat venture out during the day to
hunt, the vast majority of bats are nocturnal, mean-
*Bat Fami-
lies Family Thyropteridae ing they are active at night. Bats are a very diverse
Family Pteropodidae Disc-winged bats species and this is reflected in their size, diet and
Fruit Bats (1 Genera) roosting choices. During the day most species roost
(46 Genera) Family Mormoopidae in dark enclosed areas like caves, (Gray bat) hollow
trees, attics and barns (Brown bat). Some however,
Family Megadermatidae Genus Mormoops like the megabats (Flying Fox), roost in trees out in
False vampire bats Family Molossidae the open. Their diets can be equally different, while
(6 Genera) Free-tailed bats many are insectivores; some are fruit eaters, some
Family Craseonycteridae (18 Genera) nectar-eaters and some, like the Vampire bat, feed
Kitti's hog-nosed bat Family Emballonuridae on blood. Also the methods they use to find and
Family Rhinopomatidae Sac-winged bats catch their food varies from species to species;
Mouse-tailed bats (14 Genera) some use echolocation to navigate and hunt, while
(1 Genera) Family Myzopodidae. others rely on smell and vision.
Family Hipposideridae Sucker-footed bats
Old World leaf-nosed bats (1 Genera) Bats play a vital role in the ecosystems they
(7 Genera) Family Natalidae inhabit. Without bats many fruit crops would fail
Family Rhinolophidae Funnel-eared bats and bananas and some other exotic fruits would
disappear completely. Their voracious appetite for
horseshoe bats (3 Genera) insects – they can consume their own body weight
(1 Genera) Family Vespertilionidae in insects each night – helps control insect popula-
Family Miniopteridae. Vesper bats tions. Without this natural control many crops
Long winged bat (58 Genera) worldwide would succumb to disease carrying in-
(1 Genera + Type Species) Family Phyllostomidae sects and fail.
Family Noctilionidae Leaf-nosed bat
Bulldog bats (60 Genera) Despite the advantages of having bats around,
(Genus Noctilio) bats are often pilloried, treated as unwelcome and
Family Mystacinidae often misrepresented. For instance, the vampire bat is believed to ‘suck
N. Zealand short-tailed blood’ from humans while they sleep in their beds. This tale of horror is be-
bats lieved to have its origins in Europe; a place where vampire bats do not live
(Genus Mystacina) and never have lived. Vampire bats are one of the smaller bats of the species
and are native only to Central and South America. There, they prefer the lo-
cal farm animals. They nick the host animals’ skin and lick-up the escaping
blood. It’s unlikely, or at least very rare, to hear of a bat licking, let alone sucking, blood from a hu-
man.

Some bats carry diseases that can, in some cases, be passed on to humans. However, bats
do not naturally interact with humans. They tend to avoid contact. People who do interact with bats
usually like bats, and are aware of any dangers present and take the necessary precautions. So it’s
very rare, if at all, to hear of a bat directly infecting a human. For anyone who finds bats creepy and
a bit scary, the rule, from the bats perspective, is quite simple; ‘You leave me alone and I’ll leave
you alone.’