Bats aren’t usually the first creatures that come to mind when you think of adorable, cuddly creatures. Bats, on the other hand, are some of the most adorable and fascinating creatures on Earth, despite their often negative reputation.
In reality, with new species being discovered every year, there are over 1,400 recognized varieties of bats in the world. In addition, there are dozens of these mischievous flying creatures that are undeniably appealing.
We’ve prepared this ultimate guide to all things bat-related to assist you learn more about these magnificent animals. Next, we’ll explore the fascinating world of bats in great detail, from the classification of these creatures to the 28 cutest bat species on Earth.
The 28 Cutest Bat Species
Bats aren’t always seen as lovely, cuddly little creatures, but they’re really really loveable! Here are 28 of the cutest bat species for you to check out, out of a total of 1,400 types of bats in the world:
1. Hoary Bat (Lasiurus cinereus)
The hoary bat is a genuine gem of the animal kingdom, with a rare little face and a fluffy head. Because of its wide range, from Iceland to Hawaii, this tiny critter is one of the most widely distributed bats in the western hemisphere.
In order to avoid spending too much time in the cold, it is known to migrate some incredible distances at the start and end of winter. During their migration, they can fly up to 13 miles (21 kilometers) per hour and as high as 8,000 feet (2,400 meters).
Yet, if you ever get the opportunity to view a hoary bat, take it. Because they are rather reclusive, they are unlikely to emerge from their tree-covered resting spot as you pass by. However, don’t forget to appreciate the cuteness of a hoary bat if you find one while on vacation!
2. Little Brown Bat (Myotis lucifugus)
The small brown bat is, appropriately, tiny and brown in color. This bat can live anywhere from coastal Alaska to Mississippi’s caves, making it one of the most adaptable bats around.
The little brown bats have a voracious appetite, despite their cuddly appearance. In a single night, they may consume up to half of their body weight in insects! In addition, they have Olympic-level metabolisms and are incredible fliers. Since when in flight, their tiny hearts may beat up to 1,000 times per minute.
Unfortunately, the spread of white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease that is especially prevalent in North America, has endangered the little brown bat. As a result, your guide may urge you to take specific measures to prevent the spread of this devastating bat disease if you ever have the opportunity to go caving in North America.
3. Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus fuscus)
The big brown bat is equally as lovely, even though they aren’t actually that closely related to the little brown bat. The enormous brown bat is regarded to be rather huge in North America, despite their fame for their fluffy brownish-colored fur.
One of the most abundant bat species in North America is big brown bats. Because they eat insects like beetles, moths, all types of wasps, and flying ants, you can find them practically anywhere.
Big brown bats are one of the fastest bat species on the planet, despite their relatively large size. They’ve been said to fly as fast as 40 mph (64 km/h), which is quite amazing for a huge bat.
4. California Leaf-Nosed Bat (Macrotus californicus)
The California leaf-nosed bat is a little, desert-dwelling creature that can be found in the United States and Mexico. It is known to live in some of the most difficult environments. It has a funny little projection on its nose that makes it particularly adorable, as well as some adorably enormous ears.
The California leaf-nosed bat is a seasoned survivor in addition to being cuddly. This bat prefers to dwell in caves and abandoned mines in Mexico, California, and Arizona, despite the fact that it does not hibernate. It uses its exceptional hearing to detect flying insects and other prey as tiny as 0.19 mm in size in these conditions, thanks to its superb hearing.
Plus, it can walk bipedally (on its hind legs), making it one of the few bats in the world. However, it can only slowly step backward rather than walking forward!
5. Mexican Free-Tailed Bat (Tadarida brasiliensis)
The Mexican free-tailed bat is a tiny creature that lives in the United States, Mexico, and portions of Central and South America. It is widely recognized as the quickest bat in North America. It thrives in huge colonies with up to 20 million bats, although the majority have fewer than 200,000 bats.
Although the Mexican free-tailed bat is well-known for its speed, it is also a exceptional hunter. In reality, in a single evening, a single colony of these bats might devour up to 250 tons of insects. So, make sure to applaud your nearest Mexican free-tailed bat colony for protecting our skies from biting mosquitoes!
6. Pallid Bat (Antrozous pallidus)
The pallid bat is a very social bat that lives across the western half of North America and is one of the larger bats found there. It is both lovely and distinctive among other North American bats because of its exceptionally huge ears and mostly white body.
While you may occasionally find them in tree hollows, the pallid bat prefers to roost in caves and abandoned mines. Insects are the favorite food of most pallid bats, but they have been known to devour a scorpion, which is quite incredible.
Despite this, their population is rapidly declining, which is a mystery at this point. Some believe that as mines close in sections of Texas and forested regions are destroyed for commercial timber harvests, the bat population is dwindling.
7. Brown Long-Eared Bat (Plecotus auritus)
The brown long-eared bat is a highly beloved bat that can be found all over Europe, but it is most often spotted in the United Kingdom. This creature has some enormous ears that can be as long as its body, as one might expect from the name.
Brown long-eared bats prefer woodlands and caves over most other habitats. Echolocation is how they find their favorite prey, insects, and they’re most active at night.
This bat steals your heart with its lovely sleeping habits just when you think it can’t get any cuter. In reality, while sleeping, the brown long-eared bat is reported to fold its massive ears beneath its wings, perhaps to block out the colony’s chaos.
8. Great Fruit-Eating Bat (Artibeus lituratus)
The great fruit-eating bat is a charming critter that lives throughout Central America and northern South America, with a small, squirrel-like face. It favors fruit and is known to consume nectar, so it is appropriately named.
The enormous fruit-eating bat is, in fact, a sociable little creature that collects fruit to share with its harem of other bats. A single bat will inform the harem of its findings when it finds a tree with delicious fruit, so everyone may come and eat.
While this is the case, researchers have lately found that certain large fruit-eating bats are afflicted with alopecia, which causes them to lose substantial amounts of hair. Scientists aren’t sure what’s causing this widespread hair loss, but a number of study initiatives are underway to investigate the problem.
9. Spotted Bat (Euderma maculatum)
What happens when you combine a bat with elephant-like ears and a dalmatian fur coat? Of course it’s a spotted bat!
The beautiful spotted bat lives in highland and desert settings all over western North America. The spotted bat is fairly common, despite its favored roosting habitat on cliffs making it difficult to glimpse in the wild. It was originally assumed to be quite uncommon.
The spotted bat’s remarkable characteristics and coloring, on the other hand, set it apart. The spotted bat is distinguished by its black body with huge white spots dispersed throughout, in addition to its large pink ears. If you ask us, that makes it definitively adorable!
10. Desert Long-Eared Bat (Otonycteris hemprichii)
The environment in the desert is harsh and often unpleasant. However, the arid environment in North Africa and the Middle East appears to be sufficient for the tiny desert long-eared bat.
This bat is one of the desert’s most efficient hunters, despite the fact that we chose it for our list due to its adorably huge ears. The desert long-eared bat, despite its short size, may consume rather huge spiders.
Moreover, according to one research, most desert long-eared bats are able to consume scorpions, including the highly poisonous Palestine yellow scorpion. The desert long-eared bat appears to be unharmed by these scorpions, despite the fact that it is frequently stung directly in the face. It continues to pursue its prey without displaying any signs of injury.
The desert long-eared bat is a hardy cookie, to say the least.
11. Canyon Bat (Parastrellus hesperus)
The canyon bat is a little bat with grey to brownish-colored fur that may be found across western North America and is often known as the western pipistrelle. It definitely deserves a spot on our list of the cutest bats in the world, given its fluffy face and tiny size (though its delicate appearance doesn’t hurt its case).
As one might expect, the canyon bat prefers canyons as a habitat. However, it thrives in arid areas near bodies of flowing water. Any insect it can locate, from moths to wasps, is its favorite snack.
Canyon bats are also frequently spotted around sunset on camping trips, since they like to go out hunting early in the evening.
12. Mariana Fruit Bat (Pteropus mariannus)
It’s tough not to adore the Mariana fruit bat because of its puppy-like face. Because of their canine-like appearance and mostly brown-colored fur, these medium-sized bats are sometimes known as flying foxes.
The winsome Mariana fruit bat, on the other hand, can only be found on Guam and in the Northern Mariana Islands Commonwealth. They enjoy spending time in wooded areas (particularly around coconut trees). So, keep an ear out for the Mariana fruit bat if you ever get a chance to visit any of these remarkable locations.
13. Peter’s Dwarf Epauletted Fruit Bat (Micropteropus pusillus)
The Peter’s Dwarf epauletted fruit bat can be found across Africa, though it is most common in Ethiopia. This is a really gorgeous bat. Its small size makes it difficult to see at night, but it prefers woodlands, savannahs, and swamp forests.
Male Peter’s dwarf epauletted fruit bats have little white tufts of fur that grow on their shoulders, much like the epaulettes found on military uniforms. In addition to their attractive looks and huge brown eyes, they have littlesize white tufts of fur.
They also love to eat fruit, but they can get fairly lazy. So you can often find them hanging around banana plantations and mango groves where they hope to score a quick meal with relative ease.
Fruit is also a favorite snack for them, although they might be a little sloth-like. As a result, they’re frequently seen hanging around banana plantations and mango woods, where they attempt to get a quick meal with minimal effort.
14. Grey-Headed Flying Fox (Pteropus poliocephalus)
The grey-headed flying fox, native to Australia, is one of the world’s largest bats. This bat is anything but tiny, with a wingspan of up to 3.2 feet (1 meter), but it has a cuddly possum-like face that you just can’t overlook.
Although modest colonies may be seen in the western part of Australia, these flying foxes may be found across eastern Australia. Figs are one of their favorites, but they will also devour nectar and pollen if required.
The grey-headed flying fox pups, on the other hand, will cling to their mothers for about three weeks until they are ready to fly. This may be the most endearing feature of them. As they grow older, their moms will abandon them in small creches alongside the other pups while they go out to forage for fruit. What could be cuter than a little baby bat daycare?
15. Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas)
“A ghost bat?” you may be thinking. That doesn’t sound like a good idea at all!
Well, think again if your initial reaction was that! It’s impossible to find anything cuter than the little white ghost bat. They prefer to hide in caves in the rainforest and may be found all over northern Australia. They prefer to spend time in the Mount Etna Caves in Queensland, so if you’re planning a visit to see these creatures in person, that’s a fantastic location to visit.
At barely about 5 inches (13 cm) in length, the ghost bat is tiny. They have an enchanted face that will melt your heart, despite their white-ish bodies with impossibly long ears.
16. Hammer-Headed Bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus)
The hammer-headed bat is perhaps the cutest bat available, if you ask us. How do you dispute with those Dobby-like eyes and ears? We all know this species doesn’t quite resemble the bats you grew up hearing about, but how do you argue?
Males of the hammer-headed bat have a wingspan of over 3.2 feet (1 meter), making it one of the world’s biggest bats. They may be located in a region that extends from Senegal in the north to Angola in the south, where they live west-central Africa.
These critters, like other fruit bats, adore fruits. The fig is their favorite snack, but when times are tough, you’ll occasionally find them attacking chickens.
17. Lesser Short-Nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus brachyotis)
The lesser short-nosed fruit bat is a tiny bat that may be found across southern Asia and Oceania, with a fox-like face. It thrives in tropical rainforests and makes do with huge palm leaves during the night, converting them into makeshift lodging.
The lesser short-nosed fruit bat is known to carry its young for more than a month before they are ready to fly around on their own, based on their cuteness factor.
Furthermore, it is thought that the male lesser short-nosed fruit bat’s mammary glands are actively involved in rearing young. If you ask us, that’s “dad of the year” status.
18. Honduran White Bat (Ectophylla alba)
The Honduran white bat is as lovely as it gets, a genuine puff ball disguised as a bat. The bright orange face, nose, and ears of this aptly-named bat contrast wonderfully with its full white coat.
The Honduran white bat, on the other hand, does not seem to get frequent sunburns, despite its pale demeanor. These bats have a thin black membrane that protects them from UV rays, according to scientists who discovered it.
19. Mediterranean Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus euryale)
The Mediterranean horseshoe bat is one of southern Europe’s most common flying animals and can be found across the Mediterranean and Balkans. It prefers to dwell in warm caves where it roosts alongside other bat species in mountainous areas.
These greyish-brown bats are medium-sized. Their thin, long snout, tiny black eyes, and enormous ears make them easy to spot in a crowd. What makes them truly lovely is their small, long snout.
The IUCN, on the other hand, has classified the Mediterranean horseshoe bat as vulnerable. Disturbance seems to be particularly harmful to it. The species’ dwindling populations, which are likely as a result of the Mediterranean horseshoe bat’s fondness for insect eating, have been linked to pesticide usage.
20. Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)
The eastern red bat is one of your frequent resident adorably bat species if you reside in eastern North and South America. While it may have an impressively broad wingspan of up to 13 inches (33 cm), this little mammal is typically no more than 4 inches (10 cm) long.
Since it is a mostly solitary creature, the eastern red bat is one of the most unusual species in the bat world. It prefers to sleep and snooze in the woods on its own, with the exception of breeding and migratory seasons.
You’ll want to check out their babies, too, if you think the adult eastern red bat is attractive. The baby eastern red bat clings to their mother with one foot while hangs onto a tree with the other, until they are big enough to fly on their own. That is so adorable!
21. Soprano Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pygmaeus)
The soprano pipistrelle is a widespread bat in western Europe, especially in the United Kingdom. It is small but powerful. It’s been spotted roosting in residences and roofs, which provide them with the ideal protection from the weather.
The soprano pipistrelle is a talented hunter, in addition to being fluffy and cuddly. Because it prefers tiny flies, mosquitoes, and midges, you’ll often find it hunting near dusk by waterways. In addition, the soprano pipistrelle may consume up to 3,000 insects in a single night. That’s quite a remarkable achievement!
22. Big-Eared Woolly Bat (Chrotopterus auritus)
The large-eared wooly bat is a charming creature that lives in the tropical woods of southern Mexico, Central America, and South America. It features enormous ears and an oh-so fuzzy coat. One of the biggest bats in the western hemisphere, it is considered.
As one might expect, the big-eared woolly bat has a thick hairy coat. It has a set of large, oval-shaped ears and has a tendency to have soft, dark fur all over its body. In addition, they have a huge rostrum that protrudes out of their face and resembles a nose.
While the big-eared woolly bat is widely distributed, little is known about its feeding and mating habits. Yet, research has demonstrated that it assists spread seeds around the rainforest, ensuring that generations may flourish.
23. Pied Bat (Niumbaha superba)
The pied bat (badger bat) is a tiny creature native to Sub-Saharan Africa that has just lately been discovered as one of the most recently identified bat species out there.
The panda-like patterns on this small bat are white and black, with white and black patterning throughout its body. It was initially identified in the Congo in the 1930s, but scientists didn’t realize much about it until a researcher discovered one in 2013.
Scientists today are still learning about the pied bat, although they do recognize it as being distinct enough to warrant its own genus classification.
24. Sulawesi Flying Fox (Acerodon celebensis)
The Sulawesi flying fox has a chin-pinchingly adorable face that’s more akin to a dog than any bat we’ve ever seen, and it’s only found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
This fruit bat, which eats coconuts and breadfruits in and around its preferred mangrove forest habitat, is also known as the Sulawesi fruit bat. As their moms go out to forage for fruit, the young bats socialize with one another in huge colonies known as “camps.”
The IUCN has unfortunately classified them as endangered. The species is hunted as part of the local bushmeat trade, which has resulted in over-exploitation in certain regions, contributing to population declines.
25. Indian False Vampire Bat (Lyroderma lyra)
The Indian false vampire bat is a tiny flying mammal that lives in rich woods and is native to much of southern Asia.
Surprisingly, the Indian false vampire bat is a meat eater despite its tiny stature. This species consumes other bats, fish, small kinds of lizards, and even tiny birds (it isn’t a real vampire bat), but it doesn’t suck blood.
To capture its various prey, it’s also known to employ a variety of distinct hunting tactics, such as sitting and waiting for something delicious to pass by.
26. Spectacled Flying Fox (Pteropus conspicillatus)
The spectacled flying fox is a large bat species that lives in mangroves, rainforests, and paperbark forests exclusively in northern Australia.
Of all of Australia’s flying foxes, this species is arguably the least common. Nonetheless, it has a distinctive facial marking that resembles someone is wearing a pair of lightly-colored glasses.
The spectacled flying fox is endangered, in addition to being rather uncommon. The species’ decline is thought to be due to human development and predation by both dogs and cats. In Queensland, where it was once hunted in droves to stop it from eating fruit crops, the spectacled flying fox is now listed as endangered.
27. Egyptian Fruit Bat (Rousettus aegyptiacus)
What has lovely brown eyes and is cuddly and cute? Of course, the Egyptian fruit bat.
As their name suggests, these little fruit bats are mainly found in Egypt, but they may also be found in parts of the Arabian Penacrossula and throughout the Mediterranean. They prefer wooded areas, but in the desert, they may deal with a little bit of dryness.
Egyptian fruit bats prefer to form colonies, which may range in size from 20 to 9,000 individuals. Their food of choice, which includes baobab, fig, carob, and sycamore, is one of the few bat species that can be found using both regular sight and echolocation to locate it.
28. Indian Flying Fox (Pteropus medius)
Finally, the cutest types of bats are rounded off by the Indian flying fox.
When fully grown, this adorably enormous bat weighs up to 3 pounds (1.4 kg), making it one of the biggest bats in the world. They prefer to live in tropical forests and wetlands in the wild, where they are mostly found in India and other parts of south-central Asia.
Because they often congregate in groups of up to 1,000 bats, Indian flying foxes are particularly social. At the roost, they’re also a chatty group, as they make noises that are audible to others.
Types of Bats: What You Need to Know
There are almost 1,400 species of bats in the world, as we’ve previously stated. We couldn’t possibly cover all of the species that exist out there in one article.
Nevertheless, in order to become a genuine chiropterologist (someone who studies bats) and impress all of your friends with your bat knowledge, we’ll cover some basic bat concepts in this section.
Let’s get crazy!
What Is A Bat?
Before anything else, what exactly is a bat?
Bats are mammals at their most basic level. Bats are one of a kind among their mammalian cousins because they can fly in vast numbers (lesser short-tailed bat appears to prefer the ground).
The wings of bats are unlike those of humans in that they are held together by a thin membrane known as the patagium. Certain types of squirrels, such as flying squirrels, have this patagium, but it is much more noticeable in bats.
Bats are a extremely diversified group of creatures, other than the fact that they can fly. While there are many different types of bats out there, it’s difficult to make broad generalizations about all 1,400 species because they all fit into the popular image of what a bat is (small, black, nocturnal, and carnivorous).
How Bats Are Classified
Taxonomists had a tough time categorizing bat species due to the fact that there are over 1,400 species on Earth. Scientists are still trying to figure out how to classify bats, and their categorization methodology has evolved significantly in recent years.
Bats belong to the Chiroptera order in general, however. This order is part of the phylum Chordata in the kingdom Animalia and belongs to the class Mammalia (that’s mammals).
The megabats (Megachiroptera) and the micropters (Microptera) were originally the two suborders of bats. The megabats were thought to be fruit-eating animals, while the microbats were thought to be echolocating predators hunting their prey.
Scientists, on the other hand, started to modify their bat classification system in the early part of the twenty-first century. The new names Yinpterochiroptera and Yangochiroptera, which are now the standard method of dividing bats into suborders and genera, were first used in a groundbreaking research published in 2001.
1. Suborder Yinpterochiroptera
The six families that make up the suborder Yinpterochiroptera were formerly known as megabats. Five of these families are called microbats, while the other is known as megabats.
Some claim that the Rhinonycteridae, a seventh family of Yinpterochiroptera, is real but is often regarded as a sub-family.
Genetic testing is used to divide the Yinpterochiroptera species into groups. In reality, the bats have very few physical traits in common. As a result, just looking at pictures or seeing them in person may be difficult to determine how these various species are related.
The following are the six suborder Yinpterochiroptera families:
1.1 FAMILY PTEROPODIDAE
Sometimes called the fruit bats, the family Pteropodidae contains about 40 genera and 200 individual species. For the most part, species in this family are located in Australia, Oceania, south-central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the southern portion of the Arabian Peninsula.
While they are often referred to as “flying foxes” due of their huge size, members of the Pteropodidae family go by many names. They like to eat fruit, pollen, blossoms, nectar, and other things at night while scouring the land.
Flying foxes, unlike most other bats, prefer to rest in open areas, such as trees. While some are much more solitary, they’re known to congregate in huge groups of up to 500,000 people.
1.2 FAMILY RHINOLOPHOIDEA
The family Rhinolophoidea, which contains one species, Rhinolophus, with approximately 109 species, is more commonly known as the horseshoe bats.
There is still some uncertainty about how to classify species in this family because of the complex taxonomical structure of these bats. They range in size from medium to large and have reddish to brownish fur in general.
As microbats, species in the family Rhinolophoidea perform echolocation, which is important for their ability to hunt prey. They are found throughout Asia, Australia, and Europe and some species tend to come into frequent contact with humans.
As microbats, species in the family Rhinolophoidea perform echolocation, which is important for their ability to hunt prey. They are found throughout Asia, Australia, and Europe and some species tend to come into frequent contact with humans.
1.3 FAMILY CRASEONYCTERIDAE
The Kitti’s hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) is the sole species of the Craseonycteridae Yinpterochiroptera family.
This species can be found in limestone caves throughout western Thailand and parts of Myanmar, where it is also known as the bumblebee bat. It is thought to be the world’s tiniest mammal, as well as the tiniest species of bat.
Kitti’s hog-nosed bats are mainly nocturnal and diurnal, and they prefer to live in groups of roughly 100 individuals. Because of its limited range, it is considered to be near-threatened.
1.4 FAMILY HIPPOSIDERIDAE
The Old World leaf-nosed bats, also known as the family Hipposideridae, are a group of approximately ten genera and over 70 species.
Bats from Australia, Asia, Oceania, and Africa are among the most common in tropical and subtropical areas. The nasal blade of most bats in this family is somewhat horseshoe-shaped and looks odd. For the bats’ echolocation skills, this blade is critical.
The majority of species in this family dwell in hidden caves and other secluded places. Habitat degradation has made several species in the family extremely endangered, and the IUCN red list classifies a few others as severely endangered.
1.5 FAMILY RHINOPOMATIDAE
The Rhinopomatidae family, which includes about 6 species and is found in a single genus, Rhinopoma, is one of the more unusual families in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera. Because of their mouse-like tail, these bats are sometimes referred to as mouse-tailed bats. They are not closely related to any other bat species and are thus classified as their own family.
The Rhinopomatidae family of animals is mainly found in deserts and other arid environments, with species ranging in size from tiny to big. Northern Africa and southern Asia are home to the majority of them. In reality, they have been discovered in enormous groups with thousands of individuals in Egypt’s Pyramids.
1.6 FAMILY MEGADERMATIDAE
The Megadermatidae or false vampire bats are a group of five genera and four species that make up the final family in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera.
This family of bats has a characteristic called a nose-leaf on their face, which is rather big. Although more study is required on how this organ works, it is thought to be involved in echolocation.
2. Suborder Yangochiroptera
Bats belong to two suborders: Yangochiroptera and Microchiroptera. With the exception of the five families that are now classified as part of the suborder Yinpterochiroptera, this suborder contains species formerly known as “microbats.”
Species within Yangochiroptera are classified together based on genetic similarities, much as other bat suborder. As a consequence, many of the species within this suborder lack certain physical characteristics.
Three superfamilies, each with 14 families, are found within this suborder and are as follows:
2.1 SUPERFAMILY VESPERTILIONOIDEA
The superfamily Vespertilionoidea encompasses five subfamilies, 33 genera, and nearly 300 species. It is one of the most diverse bat superfamilies.
The Vespertilionoidea superfamily includes all of the bats, and the Vespertilionoidea family is the name for all of them. Nonetheless, since some of the subfamilies are likely to be elevated to the status of family in the near future, scientists continue to consider this a superfamily.
These superfamily’s bats eat mostly insects caught by echolocation, which is the most common form of prey for these bats. To that end, the phylogenetic linkages between species may not be apparent to the naked eye. Many of the species in this superfamily are connected genetically, despite having significantly distinct appearances.
The Vespertilionoidea superfamily includes species that can be found all around the globe. They may be found on every continent except Antarctica, and they include the majority of North American bat species.
2.2 SUPERFAMILY EMBALLONURIDAE
The members of the Emballonuridae superfamily are thought to be some of the world’s smallest bats, popularly known as sheath-tailed or sac-winged bats.
There are approximately 51 species in this superfamily, which contains approximately 13 genera. Most of these bats, especially in tropical rainforests, reside in Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America.
Bats dwell in caves and prefer to live in large groups. Insects are the main source of food for most of them, who hunt them with echolocation.
2.3 SUPERFAMILY NOCTILIONOIDEA
Over 170 bat species are distributed among seven families in the superfamily Noctilionoidea. Because of their huge nasal blades, which are assumed to help with echolocation, these bats are also known as leaf-nosed bats.
The species of Noctilionoidea are quite varied because to the large number of bats in this superfamily. Several species are fruit- and nectar-eating herbivores, with a few supplementing their diets with fish or blood.
Central and South America are home to the majority of Noctilionoidea bats, but New Zealand is home to a few species.
It’s also worth noting that the Noctilionoidea family includes a lot of disagreement. As a result, it’s possible that in the future, certain families will be moved to a new superfamily.
Bat Fun Facts
Congratulations if you’ve made it this far into our article! You seem to be an expert on bats. Nevertheless, you should have a wide range of bat fascinating facts ready just in case you need to demonstrate off your batty expertise to all your pals when you’re out and about on your following camping excursion.
Before your next outdoor excursion, here are a few of our favorite bat fun facts to write down:
1|Bats Are The Only Flying Mammal
Is there anything you find out about it? Only bats can fly, and they are the only animals that do.
Yep, that’s right.
Sugar gliders and flying squirrels may seem to be able to fly, however they are not actually capable of powered flight. What this means is that they can’t stay in the air for more than a few seconds as they glide from spot to place. Bats, on the other hand, are extremely agile in the air and may fly at speeds of up to 100 mph (160 km/h).
2|Some Bats Rely On Echolocation To Hunt And Communicate
Bats are able to perform a technique known as “echolocation,” which generates sounds at distinct frequencies that we humans cannot hear.
The sound waves rebound from other objects and return to the bat when this happens. The bat may understand and have a better understanding of its environment once it receives some of these sound waves.
At night, some bats are even able to locate and pursue their prey with the help of their echolocation abilities. Bats are also thought to utilize echolocation for day-to-day communication, which is a really handy talent.
3|Not All Bats Are Nocturnal
Several species of bats prefer to hunt during the day or at dawn and dusk, despite the fact that most bats are nocturnal. In reality, throughout the day, there are several bat species that are fully awake.
Examining where a bat sleeps is frequently used to determine if it is predominantly nocturnal. Since caves and other dark, gloomy areas offer the greatest protection from predators during the day, several nocturnal species prefer to rest there.
Meanwhile, species that prefer to roost in trees are most active during the day, such as flying foxes. The lack of echolocation skills and excellent vision in these bat species makes it simpler for them to find fruit while foraging.
4|Bat Guano Is A Fantastic Fertilizer
Have you ever considered fertilizing your garden with bat guano? It’s worth taking a look at.
Bat guano has been collected by humans for hundreds of years because it is one of the greatest natural fertilizers available. Bat guano is now rather costly (harvesting it isn’t exactly simple), but it’s excellent for revitalizing stressed soils.
5|Bats Are Excellent Pest Controllers
Bats (the majority of which are not vampires, as a matter of fact) have a bad reputation for being blood-suckers. Yet, for the great pest-control work that bats do without pay, we humans should really be grateful.
Bats are really good at controlling local insect populations, even if claims that some bat species can eat 1,000 species per hour are a little exaggerated. Bats rely on insects as a main meal, so it’s thanks to our trustworthy insect control experts that mosquito and black fly populations are kept in check.