A bat: a vampire or not?

Scientists have found out that bats are one of the oldest inhabitants of the planet, because they have been living on Earth for almost 50 million years! Their ancestors, known as ikonikonterisy, practically did not differ from modern species. As the mice developed the ability to fly, the scientists could not understand, but for now they assume that they originated from insectivores that led their life on trees.

Appearance

Representatives of different species may differ in size and color, but any bat looks so characteristic that it is simply impossible to confuse it with another animal.

Her body is covered with a short fur, which on the abdomen has a lighter shade. The wingspan varies from 15 centimeters to 2 meters, their shape may differ significantly, but the structure always remains the same.

The bat has well developed forelegs, short strong shoulders and a very long forearm, which is formed by only one ray bone. It has very long fingers - one of them ends in a sharp hooked claw, and the others serve to support the lateral membranes of the wings.

The length of the tail and the shape of the body can vary depending on the species of bats, but they all have a bony growth, which is also called a spur. With its help, the wings of the animal unfold to the very tail.

They fly with the help of synchronous swings of webbed wings. And in a state of rest, the wings tightly press against the body.

Lifestyle

Although bats live in a variety of natural conditions, their habits are surprisingly similar - they lead an exceptionally nocturnal lifestyle, and in the daytime they sleep, hanging overhead.

The bat prefers to live in large groups, loneliness is not to her liking.

Winter these animals spend in hibernation, hiding from the cold in secluded places and closing their wings, and the warm season for them is allotted to create and feed offspring.

The most common bat is found in caves, dark mountain crevices, abandoned mines, hollows of trees, old non-residential houses.

Most of the wakefulness she spends on getting food, and the rest time uses to properly put herself in order, clean out the wings, abdomen and chest.

All bats possess the natural gift of echolocation, due to which they are able to perfectly orient themselves in space and "see" even the finest wires and small ripples on the water raised by the fish.

What bats eat

Basically they eat insects, but the taste preferences are different for everyone: some species like butterflies and midges, others - spiders and beetles, some hunt dragonflies, and some get wood larvae. Their prey they often grab on the fly, and some use their wings as a mesh, podgrebai insects and sending themselves into the mouth.

The bat is also carnivorous, but there are very few such species. In the food are small rodents and small birds. There are also several species that catch and eat fish.

The image of the vampire bat also did not arise on an equal footing: in South America there are species that feed solely on the blood of animals and humans. They make a small incision on the skin of their victim and suck a little blood. This is not at all fatal, and can be dangerous only because of the possibility of catching rabies - as is known, the bat is the carrier of this disease.

So it's not worth to be afraid of these animals - all the terrible stories about them are too exaggerated, if not invented.