An accessible book by Amy Fleming

Bats are warm-blooded, covered with fur, and have a backbone. They are mammals like us.

There are almost one thousand different kinds of bats.

Most bats fly at night and rest upside down during the day.

The body of a bat is small and light with large, strong wings. Each kind of bat has a body that has developed for the food it eats and where it lives.

Fruit bats have large eyes with good eyesight for finding food.

Many bats have huge ears. They can hear their prey better than they can see what they are hunting.

A bat grips its resting place or perch with the sharp claws on its feet.

Bats have a thumb part of their wing that has a claw to hold food. A bat’s body is covered with fur.

The Western Red Bat looks like a dead leaf. The fur colour of tree bats may be an adaptation for camouflage.

Bats can find their way in total darkness. Bats flying in the dark can not only avoid obstacles, but find and capture small flying insects. Bats are amazing!

A bat opens its mouth and makes a high pitched sound that humans cannot hear. When the sound hits something it bounces back to the bat.

The Hoary Bat is the largest bat found in British Columbia.

The Hoary Bat is well made to hunt flying insects. Outdoor lights at night provide a good feeding area. Many insects fly toward the light.

Bats that live in places with a cold winter can hibernate for six months. Some bats hibernate in burrows underground.

Bats roost in many different ways. Some bats roost alone. Some bats roost in a large group called a colony.

Bats roosting in a cave

Some baby bats, called pups, are born in nursery colonies. A mother bat leaves her pup in the nursery while she is out to get food.

Most female bats have only one or two pups at a time. A mother bat nursing her pup

Sometimes the mother bat carries her pup until it learns to fly.

Many bats are important in helping with pest control. Some bats can eat up to 600 bugs in one hour.

In British Columbia, weasels, snakes, and hawks eat bats. A weasel

Many people are afraid of bats, but now that you know more about them, you know you have nothing to fear. Spotted Bat