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Bats
The largest group of mammals that have the ability to fly. Their nocturnal habits have given raise to many myths and fears through the ages, most of which are unfounded. Ask your questions here and find out what is true or myth about these fascinating creatures.
3,243 Questions
Is a bat a monotremes or a placentals?
Bats are placental mammals. Unlike monotremes, they do not lay eggs.
How far can bats see with echolocation or is it limitless?
No, of course it is not limitless. It's actually not very far, just a few metres, especially at the higher frequencies the animal uses to home in on its prey.
The range depends not only on the species, but also on various factors including call frequency, the bat's calling power (very low) and the reflectivity of the target.
It is influenced by the loudness of the call which in some species can well exceed 100dB re 20µPa. (That 20 micro-pascals is used as the reference sound-pressure level for airborne sound in decibels, as it is that of the quietest sound humanly audible within the human frequency range and so = 0dB). Even so the bat is a very small creature so its call power is very low.
As frequency rises so transmission range falls. Some of the power is lost by the beam-width - i.e. some of the sound misses the target by spreading out. (I wonder if the fungal infection, White Nose Syndrome, presently devastating the American bats is particularly serious among the horseshoe bats? Their peculiar nose-leaves focus the call - damage to the leaf may damage its sound beam-forming ability so reduce the echo-locating efficiency & accuracy.)
The theoretical minimum attenuation with distance is an inverse-square law, and since the bat is relying on the echo, the sound has to travel to the target then return, so that's two distance-squared losses.
Let's do the sums: 100dB call sound pressure level 1 metre from the animal's face is reduced by [20 log1010] dB at 10m away, so 20dB loss. If the sound hits a flat, fully acoustically-reflective surface it will therefore start its return at 80dB, so reach the bat's ears at 60dB (ignoring the approaching animal's slight change of position in the meantime). A loss overall of 40dB. And that's the theoretical maximum, ignoring all other sources of loss. The reality is far lower.
For one thing, the sound is extremely unlikely to fall on a perfectly reflective surface, so a good deal of its energy is either absorbed or bounced off at angles away from the bat. The bat's brain also has to sift the distorted echo of its own voice from a solid object or its prey from all the specular reflections from the surrounding objects.
So whilst it's impossible to give clear ranges for bats generally, it is normally little more than perhaps 10 metres, especially for the hunting chirps which are according to species but might sweep from about 80kHz up to about 140kHz. For more general navigation, and for "social" calls, bats use lower-frequency squeaks that will travel further than at high frequencies.
A great deal of research has been done, and continues to be done on bat's echo-location; even to the extent of using models of bat's heads to trace the acoustics.
As for what they "see", we can only speculate. Flying at dusk in the open air they have their eyes to help them, but navigating in absolute darkness in caves and tunnels requires 100% echo-location plus excellent homing and direction instincts, and it's surprising how far into caves they will fly, even through quite small, zig-zagging passages.
We can't tell what image the animal's brain forms from the echoes; we can only marvel at the incredible depth and speed of signal-processing going on in a small part of a brain weighing just few grammes in all. It is using the echo-data at perhaps 10 pulses/second, and other senses' returns, not only to "see" its world but also to synchronise the flight, breathing, calling, ear-damping and jaws... while the rest of the brain continues monitoring and operating the rest of the animal generally.
How do you get rid of bats living in a table umbrella?
LOL, well , do you have a broom? Or if they keep on coming back, get something built into the inside of the umbrella to keep the bats away. Other than that, close the darn umbrella if you can't do anything else.
Bats do not have gizzards. They are mammals, only birds have gizzards. Mammals do not have gizzards!
Do all vampires have bat wings?
Another one for which we can thank Mr. Stoker. In his story, the Count takes the form of a bat on more than one occasion, lending to the idea that ALL Vampires can shapeshift into the night flying creatures. He also changed shape into giant wolf.
They fly with their leather wings, their hearing helps them around and the old says "Blind as a bat" but bats haves very good eyesight.
Bats use echolocation, or the use of high pitched sounds that bounce off of objects and allow bats to navigate. They find each other the same way they would catch their prey.
What little flying mammal can fall 100 feet without hurting itself?
A cat can fall from the top of a building without dieing
Are you a vampire if you hate sunlight am sunburned easily and drink blood?
No, because just because you sunburn easily dose not mean that you are a vampire. And what do you mean by "and drink blood"?
Vampires aren't that organized. Most vampires are solitary. The rest belong to small cells or covens (if you prefer archaic terminology). The leader(s) of a cell would be the most respected individuals. There is no rigid structure, primarily they are meritocracies.
Do abusers really envy those they treat the worst and look down on?
Abusers offend against their victims for a variety of reasons, pathological envy being only one of them.
Pathological envy is a strong motive in narcissism, for instance. Additionally, to cast themselves in the role of "master" (Jeffrey Satinover's term), narcissists cast others in the roles of disciples. They transform others into patients, assigning to themselves the role of psychiatrist. And so on. Actually, they firmly and fully believe that they are working towards the improvement and personal betterment and welfare of the other (I call it: the "mobilization" of their motives and behaviour). This is why they are shocked when these others "ungratefully" rebel, release themselves from the straight jacket of their assigned "roles" and confront them. They are narcissistically injured to the core when this happens and react with rage and paranoia. It only serves to enforce their belief in an unjust world, far inferior and oblivious to their talents and contributions.
How do you make a screeching sound on a chalkboard with your fingernails?
1. Lift one hand. 2. Place the ends of your nails upon the board. 3. Applying a slight force against the board, drag your fingers downward. 4. If it does not achieve the desired effect, go back to step one.
How do vampire bats attack their prey?
Vampire bats do indeed drink blood. While in flight, they locate their prey - usually pigs, cows, horses (and, on very rare occassion, humans) - using echolocation, and using their extremely sharp teeth create a scrape on the skin of the target. A special chemical compound in their saliva, called an anticoagulant, keep the blood from clotting so the bat can drink until it is full. Satisfied, it then returns to its home. By far the most famous bat in the world is the vampire bat. This species has a close association with vampires and mythological stories. The real Vampire Bats are found in Mexico and do feed on the blood of warm blooded animals, such as cattle, horses, or birds. The vampire bat does not actually like the taste of human blood and much prefer other warm blooded animals instead. The vampire bat is one of the only species of bat that feeds on blood. They do not, however, suck this blood. Instead, the bat makes a small cut in the skin of a sleeping animal with their sharp teeth. The bat's saliva has an aesthetic in it that reduces the likelihood of the animal feeling the insertion. They then lap the blood up as it flows from the fresh wound. There is a special anticoagulant contained in the bats saliva that prevents their victim's blood from clotting until the bat has finished its meal. The bat only needs about two teaspoons of blood a day, so the blood loss is minimal and rarely causes any harm to their victim.
What happens when an owl and a bat live together in a niche?
Obviously,the bat will suck the owls blood and kill the owl.
What is the difference between insect eating and fruit eating eating bats?
the difference is in what they eat
How do you collect bat guano from a residence and sell it?
I don't think you can do that. Guano can become toxic if left for too long, which is why many homeowners have it removed. For it to be useful, bat guano has to be fresh, kept away from light and moisture, and can't have been left for too long.
And it is sold by the ton, something you are not likely to get out of a house.
Is the Kitti's Hog Nosed Bat endangered and why?
The Kitti's Hog Nosed Bat is endangered because people have been shooting them in forests for no good reason!
How is it that vampire and vampire bats feed off blood but why do vampire bats rarely attack humans?
because there is no connection between vampires and vampire bates just the name the name was given to the bat because they drink some blood but the bats don't feed off the energy the bat just drink the blood for food
Is it legal to have a pet bat in the US and Europe?
Well not technically as a "pet". They are illegal BECAUSE they have a high reputation of spreading rabies. But what you can do is create a "bat house". you can make a dark roosting area for bats and have food and water in it. But you really shouldn't get that close because of rabies.
It is easier to list the fruits you CANNOT EAT.
DO NOT EAT any of the following fruits (they are ALL citrus fruits):
- orange (any kind including orange juice)
- tangerine
- tangelo
- lemon (including lemon juice in cooking)
- lime
- grapefruit (including grapefruit juice)
- kumquat
Everything else should be alright: apples, peaches, pears, cherries, berries, grapes, bananas, plums, dates, figs, etc.
