Bats can be found around the world, from Texas to Thailand. They make up a quarter of the world's known mammals. There are approximately 1,100 species of bats.
Bats around the world are threatened by increasing habitat loss and in North America, they are threatened by white nose syndrome. This is a fungal disease that deteriorates bats' wing membranes and damages their muzzles, ears, and skin. White nose syndrome also awakens bats out of torpor (their form of winter hibernation) before they are ready. White nose syndrome now affects bats in at least 29 states and 5 Canadian provinces.
While a lot of people see bats as "scary" or "creepy," they play a vital role in their ecosystems. Bats help pollinate plants when they travel, they disperse seeds throughout forests, and their droppings even act as a fertilizer. Some even eat bugs and mosquitoes.
Below is a list of 5 of the most unique bat species. (Warning: you might actually like bats after reading this.)
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Ghost bats
The ghost bat is also known as the false vampire bat. It is about 4.3 inches long and weighs anywhere from 74 to 144 grams, which actually makes it ones of the biggest bats in the world. It has large eyes, a leaf-shaped nose and very large ears that are joined together above its head. Its fur is very light brown or gray, and some appear to be almost white. It does not have a tail.
The ghost bat eats insects, reptiles, frogs, birds, small mammals, and even occasionally other bat species. The ghost bat lives in small colonies in arid and rainforest regions around the world.
There are less than 10,000 total individuals left in the world. Its population has decreased over the last 100 years due to mining, which disturbs roost sites in caves. The ghost bat also only produces one offspring every year, making any recovery efforts for their species slow.
Bumblebee bats
Only about 1.1 inches long, the bumblebee bat is the smallest mammal in the world. It weighs only 2 grams. In fact, it is so small that it is actually about the same size as a bumblebee, explaining its name.
The Bumblebee bat is reddish-brown to gray in color, with a pig-like nose, large ears, and tiny eyes. It has relatively long forearms (1 inch) that helps it achieve a special trick: hover mid-air like hummingbirds. It eats flies and spiders.
The bumblebee bat lives in groups of varying size (from 10 up to 500) inside limestone caves within evergreen or deciduous forests in Thailand and Myanmar. The species was first discovered in 1974, but today the bumblebee bat is endangered and its population is declining. It has become an attraction for collectors and tourists who want to catch a glimpse of this tiny creature. The burning of forests near the caves where it lives is also threatening its survival.
Hammer-headed bats
Hammer-headed bats are the largest bats in Africa. They live in the swamps, mangroves, and palm forests of central Africa.
They show strong sexual dimorphism, meaning males and females are very different looking from one another. Both males and females have large, square-shaped heads, brown fur with a white collar, and a large, flexible thumb. But males are bigger and have large lips, warty snouts, and a split chin with cheek pouches.
These bats eat the juice of mangoes, bananas, and guavas. They mate in an arena type setting — 25 to 130 bats will gather along tree branches by the river at night to mate.
The good news is that hammer-headed bats are under no special conservation status and their numbers are currently sustainable.
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