Bat: description of the animal for children. Where does a bat live, what does it eat and how does it reproduce?

Bats belong to the order Chiroptera class of mammals. This is one of the most numerous orders in the biological classification: it unites more than 20 families and about 1,300 species.

The bat is the only flying mammal of all living fauna. The lifestyle of these unusual animals and their repulsive appearance have given rise to many myths and legends. Since ancient times, people have experienced a strong antipathy towards bats, considering them vampires, the embodiment of evil spirits and demons. In fact, bats are harmless and even provide some benefits.

What does a bat look like and what color?

The bat looks like a small animal; instead of arms, it has peculiar wings with several membranes, like the legs of a toad. These mice mainly feed on insects, but there are also large individuals that eat other bats, as well as small birds and rodents.

Appearance of the animal:

• Below we present photographs where you can see what the animal looks like. They differ in color, habitat and appearance. Depending on the continent where they live, their color differs, as does the fur on their body.
• The mouse is distinguished by not very large eyes, as well as four legs, two of which are wings. The most interesting thing is that the animals and ordinary rodents are not related at all and do not even belong to the same class.
• Ordinary mice are rodents, and bats are bats. They got their name because of their small size and squeak, like a rodent. The most interesting thing is that these are the only mammals that can actively fly. There are no other animals among mammals that are distinguished by their ability to fly.

Baby

Varieties

A vampire

Preparation

Getting bats out from under your roof is a serious process and requires advance preparation. First of all, you need to prepare yourself. Here are some important rules that MUST be followed.

Method one - observational and handicraft

During twilight and night time, look for areas where bats enter the attic.

When you see that the mice have flown away to hunt, use any available methods to seal the entry points. Depending on the hole, you can use boards, tape, etc. It is better to use polyurethane foam later.

Remember, bats hunt once every few days. Therefore, the next day, open the entry point so that those who have not yet flown out will fly out.

After repeating this procedure for a week, making sure that now all the bats have definitely flown out, you can seal the holes more seriously - with polyurethane foam, sealant, etc.

Method two - natural and safe

There are also longer options, which may not be entirely effective, but they are safe.

Treatment with water, light and wind.

The three methods listed above are good, but the likelihood that the bats will not return is not very high.

Method three - smoking and smelling

If bats are not in sight, or for some reason there is no desire or opportunity to waste electricity, water and time on these methods, there are still options.

Method four - dubious and controversial

There is information that special sprays and ultrasonic repellers for rodents are also used. But the effectiveness of these methods is also not 100% guaranteed.

Maximum bat size and weight

A distinctive feature is its relatively small size. The smallest representative can weigh only 2 g, and the body length is 3 cm. The largest individual reaches a wingspan of up to 75 cm, but its weight is only 200 g. The wings have a membranous structure, and are very thin.

Chiropterans have teeth, since they belong to the order of predators, and have fangs, incisors, and molars. They need teeth to chew insects and small animals. They are distinguished by large ears; this is not a structural feature at all, but a way to recognize the terrain.

Cute creature

Interesting answers

In the Vitebsk province of the Northwestern Territory, on October 6, 1894, the future literary critic, playwright, screenwriter and prose writer Yuri Nikolaevich Tynyanov was born into a family of wealthy Jews.

Subculture is a part of the culture of a society that differs from the prevailing culture in society. Differences are manifested in behavior, clothing, language, value system, manner, and cultural tastes of representatives.

The place where we have the good fortune to live, or rather, our planet Earth, has a huge amount and variety of life that amazes the imagination. Every person who has ever read books on a similar topic or watched scientific films knows

The linden tree is a deciduous tree; the crown is wide, often oval in shape, and its height exceeds 28 meters. In nature, there are over 40 species of these trees; they are long-lived trees, living over 450 years.

Source

Blood sucking vampire bats

There are also blood-sucking animals called vampires. Their appearance is not much different from ordinary bats, but they have special characteristics. Their other teeth are less developed, but their fangs are huge and very sharp. With their help, they pierce the victim's skin and feed on its blood. Unfortunately, they do not eat anything other than this liquid. The digestive system is not able to break down insects.

Vampire bats:

• Such mammals are found in Africa, mainly in warm regions. They find an area on the victim's body that is not covered with fur, bite through it and feed on blood. On average, a meal lasts 20-40 minutes. During this time, the animal drinks approximately 40 ml of blood.
• The same weight as the animal itself. After a meal, the animal cannot take off due to its increased weight, so very liquid urine is excreted, which mainly consists of blood plasma. The remaining nutrients, as well as proteins, are digested in the stomach.
• Most often, such mammals bite cattle and small animals, and there are cases of attacks on people. They prefer to bite sleeping prey that does not resist.
• The animal's saliva contains an anesthetic, making the bite virtually painless. Saliva also contains an anticoagulant, which is why the blood does not clot and continues to flow out of the wound. There have been cases where blood flowed from the hole for 8 hours.

A vampire

Description of the animal

The brown long-eared bat is included in the common bat family. The species belongs to the sedentary bats. He looks quite interesting. Let's get acquainted with the description of the animal.

What does it look like

The length of a bat's ears is comparable to the size of the animal. The wings are short and wide. The long and thick fur is yellowish or brown on the back and light on the belly. Young individuals have darker coloring than adult long-eared cats.

The rear edges of the ears have transverse folds, and a noticeable protrusion is visible in front. The weight of the creature varies from 6 to 12 g. The tail is slightly shorter than the body, the length of which reaches 55 mm. Life expectancy in the wild is about 10 years.

The appearance of the bat is similar to the Gray Long-eared bat. Only a specialist can distinguish between the two creatures.

Brown long-eared bat or common long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus) at the Moscow Zoo.

During sleep, the animal throws back its ears and places them under its wings. This way it protects the surface of the organ from attack by blood-sucking insects.

Character and lifestyle

When hunting, bats fly low and hover near the treetops. They can be found along the alley of a park or garden. The animal's flight can be called fast and fluttering. In flight, the creature presses its ears to its back, leaving the tragus straight.

The animal climbs well on vertical surfaces and is able to hover in the air. The animal's voice is an ultrasound that is not detected by humans. Bats live alone. Rarely do individuals unite in small clusters.

What does it eat?

The bat feeds on insects:

• mosquitoes;
• beetles;
• butterflies;
• spiders.

The brown long-eared bat catches them in the air and collects them in the trees. Its ears, which are capable of emitting and capturing various sounds in space even over long distances, help it see prey. The bat eats the soft parts of the insects, but does not touch the hard remains.

The creature flies out to search for food in the dark. It hunts until dawn. During the day, the animal sleeps in hollows and caves.

Where does it live?

The animal lives in deciduous and coniferous forests. Its existence is directly related to vegetation, so city parks and gardens become typical habitats for bats.

The species can be found in the European part of Russia, southern Siberia and the Far East. In other countries, Wushan lives in North Africa, China, Iran and Portugal. The species is often found in the Nizhny Novgorod region.

Reproduction

Individuals reproduce by mating, like other mammals. This happens twice a year. Offspring appear in early June.

Usually one cub is born. He is very small, deaf and blind. The mother carries it on herself until the baby learns to fly on his own. Males do not take part in raising the young. They disappear as soon as the small animal is born.

In the first days, bat babies feed on their mother’s milk; they themselves begin to hunt after 3-4 weeks. Wushan grows quickly. After only 4 weeks he is not much different from his parents.

Natural enemies

Bats hunt crawling insects. Being close to the ground, they can become prey to cats and dogs. Birds of prey are also enemies of the animal:

• peregrine falcons;
• owls;
• hawks.

A marten, snake or weasel would not mind eating a bat.

Man is considered the main enemy of the species. Brown long-eared bat is not dangerous for people. He can bite only for the purpose of self-defense.

Wintering

In winter, the animal hibernates. It hangs upside down, clinging to a branch or wall with its paws. If it is disturbed by a sound while sleeping, the creature will wake up, but will immediately close its eyes and continue resting.

The animal winters in caves, mines, tunnels, and abandoned buildings. The wake-up time does not depend on the outside temperature.

Nocturnal lifestyle of bats

These bats live in dark places and go out to hunt only at night. In rare cases, whole flocks can fly out during the daytime, preferably in the late afternoon. In most cases, if it is not a vampire mouse, they feed on small insects.

They can sleep under cacti, burrow in caves and under stones. The hunt begins at night. They navigate and find their prey using ultrasonic parameters, thanks to their echo location. Some night moths have the ability to deflect ultrasonic waves so as not to become a victim of the animal. This is a unique phenomenon due to which animals cannot detect a mole cricket, even using their location abilities.

Night predator

What are the optimal conditions for wintering?

This should be a shelter with a temperature of 0+8C and a humidity level of 80-100%, without drafts. For the middle zone, such conditions are usually met by dungeons, basements, caves, old mines and adits, deep well log houses, attics, and hollows in trees. Sometimes accumulations of wintering individuals reach several hundred heads . Numerous colonies can settle in old abandoned military pillboxes, many of them in the forts of the Brest fortresses.

If wintering is successful, then the animals remember this place and will definitely return for the next hibernation, because it is becoming more and more difficult for winged animals to find suitable shelters in modern realities.

What do bats eat in the wild?

In one flight, this mammal is capable of eating insects, which by weight make up a third of the mass of the animal itself, which indicates the gluttony of the mammal. These animals have a very good metabolism, so they quickly digest food. If this mammal is a vampire, then it is capable of eating quite a lot per night, approximately as much blood as it weighs. Surprisingly, bats can share blood with their brothers. They remember which animal is greedy and will not feed it.

Preventive actions

Once bats have been expelled, it is important to prevent them from returning. For this, preventive measures are necessary. Namely:

• completely clear the areas of excrement, debris and dirt left by bats and thoroughly disinfect these areas;
• tightly seal all cracks and holes in the attic, under the roof and in the basement;
• plaster the attic and repair the roof of the house;

• If the holes cannot be sealed, cover them with fiberglass or mesh;
• hang balls made of foil; in the wind they create noise that will scare away mice;
• Provide basements and attics with lighting.

How many wings does a bat have?

In these mammals, the wing structure is significantly different from birds. Unlike birds, bats have more flexible partitions and very thin skin. Thanks to special muscle fibers, which are located inside the soft part of the wing and act as peculiar receptors and sensors, the wing can be stretched or weakened. Thanks to this unusual wing structure, the animals can develop very high speeds and, in general, their movements are more maneuverable than those of birds. Although it is much more difficult to control movable wings.

The animal has only two wings with thin membranes. Moreover, the wing does not always end with claws. Vampire bats keep their offspring near them longer than other bats. The female spends approximately 9 months nursing the baby. Oddly enough, the female gives birth to only one animal per year. The funny thing is that bats are assistants to people who are engaged in agriculture.

Chiroptera

This is explained by a good appetite and the ability to eat large enough insects that destroy crops and gardens. However, at the same time, the animals cause great damage, as they can eat fruits and fruit trees. In addition, they carry rabies and other dangerous diseases. There is a legend that animals in flocks in Africa attack people, sucking blood. In fact, in most cases, bats do not attack people; they prefer animals as victims. However, there are still cases of bites, but no one has died from these bites.

In the last century, a myth appeared that says that bats can cling to hair and get stuck in it. In fact, these are fictions; perhaps in the last century some ladies wore their hair up and visited caves in order to see what was inside. Maybe a couple of animals got stuck in my hair. But mammals do not experience any pleasure from this. Therefore, if you wear a regular hairstyle, you are unlikely to get a bat tangled in your hair.

In a cave

Population and species status

Photo: Baby flying snake

Most bat species have endangered status. Some subspecies have vulnerable status, requiring constant monitoring.

The population in the 20th century was mainly negatively affected by agricultural development, environmental pollution, and habitat loss. But at the same time, there were cases of deliberate extermination, destruction of nests and treatment of roofs and attics of houses with repellents. Studies have also been conducted in the United States that have shown that wind power plants also affect the number of bats. Bats die from collisions with wind turbine blades and from lung damage due to pressure drops near the blades.

But because bats are central to the ecosystem, measures are being taken to protect them. In Europe, they are actually the only natural regulator of the number of insects that are active at night. Thanks to bat conservation efforts, populations of some subspecies have stabilized and some have increased.

The European Environment Agency, based on a study of nearly 6,000 nesting sites, concluded that bat numbers increased by 43% between 1993 and 2011. But these are average numbers, and, unfortunately, the numbers of some subspecies continue to decline.

What to feed a bat at home?

Many people think that this is a good option for a pet, but this is actually not the case. Bats are unlikely to be able to recognize their owner in a person and understand why he feeds them. Therefore, a person will not receive any return.

Bat in the house:

• In addition, this mammal needs a lot of space to fly. Without flying, they get fat very quickly and die. Almost all bats feed on insects in large quantities.
• Accordingly, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort to accumulate a large number of insects for the animal every day. You can feed them with fruits, but not all bats will eat them. Still, most of the diet is insects.
• There is an opinion that any bat is a vampire and sucks blood. Actually no, only three subspecies are vampires, and there are very few of them.
• You can become infected with rabies from bats, but they are nocturnal, practically do not attack people, and only 8 cases of rabies infection are known in history. Accordingly, the likelihood of contracting this disease is extremely low.

The colony

Effective methods of control

There are many options explaining how to get rid of bats in the country. Choose a control method based on the simplicity of the method and the number of individuals living in the country.

Chemicals

The use of such products is not recommended. Remember that bats are protected by law and it is better not to destroy them. Bats can also get trapped in a crack and die in a hard-to-reach place, emitting a foul odor as they decompose.

Therefore, when choosing a pesticide, give preference to aerosols. For example, 876 4-Pack BatRepellent, which includes peppermint. The product is sprayed on the habitats of bats (strictly in their absence). The smell of chemicals will scare away the animals.

Use chemicals only in non-residential areas where there are no pets. When working with drugs, do not forget about personal protective measures (masks and gloves).

Repellers

To find out how to get rid of bats in your country house, consider using special devices - ultrasonic repellers. This is a safe and effective method. When operating, the repeller emits ultrasonic waves with a frequency of 35-60 kHz. They are not detected by humans and are harmless to them. But mice are sensitive to radiation and cannot tolerate it.

Using the device is simple - it is connected to a power outlet and the operating mode is set. After 1.5-2 weeks, the bats will leave their homes.

Among the most effective repellers are the following:

In rare cases, ultrasonic repellers can trigger migraines in people with high sensitivity. Therefore, it is better not to stay within the range of the device for a long time.

Traditional methods

Study time-tested folk methods that explain how to get rid of bats in the country.

What means do you use to combat bats?

PopularRepellers

All these methods are absolutely safe and do not require material costs:

• Water . Chiropterans do not like humidity and will never settle in damp places. To expel mice, you need to spray their holes with water daily.
• Naphthalene . The animals have an excellent sense of smell and cannot tolerate strong odors, which include naphthalene. In order to combat uninvited guests, mothballs or pieces are laid out in their habitats (they are first placed in gauze bags).
• Light . Chiropterans will never return to their burrows unless it is dark. Place several powerful light sources in such a way as to illuminate the mice’s hiding places, and after 2-3 days the animals will leave this area.
• Polyurethane foam . It is needed to tightly seal all the cracks possible for penetration. But be sure to make sure that there are no animals in the holes, otherwise it will be extremely difficult to get rid of the stench later if the mice die in closed places.
• Smoker . Chiropterans cannot tolerate the smell of smoke. To smoke animals from your favorite territory, use a smoker for 2-3 days.
• Fans . Try using a fan as well, directing the air flow into the mouse den.
• Loud sounds . Although this method has not been proven to work, try scaring away a family of mice with the sounds of loud music.

Expert opinion

Mityuk Stefania Bogdanovna

If all methods have been tried, but stubborn bats are not drowning in leaving their homes, contact a specialist. Professionals will explain how to get rid of bats in your dacha and help you with this. SES representatives have all modern equipment. They will quickly and reliably get rid of bats.

Where do bats live?

City residents believe that it is impossible to find bats in such an area. In fact, this is not so; bats also settle in big cities, but away from high-rise buildings and high-rise buildings.

Where do bats live:

• They can be found in forest belts, near water bodies. There are a lot of insects in such places, so there is a lot of food for mammals. If in summer it is quite difficult to find animals in a big city, then closer to autumn they can fly near high-rise buildings.
• Closer to winter, these mammals look for places where they can take shelter and hide from the frost. Therefore, they are often found under window sills and often fly into apartments to hide from the cold. They prefer to spend the winter in ventilation hatches, or hide on the roof, between the slabs of houses.
• Without food, an individual that feeds on insects can live a long time. The trouble is that a large amount of moisture is lost through the wings. Even if there is no food, it is necessary to have a source of water nearby. In this case, she can live quite a long time. Otherwise, its wings dry out and the mammal dies.

On the rocks

When to start expulsion

Considering that bats are listed in the Red Book, killing them is prohibited. The only way to get rid of bats at the dacha is to “smoke out” the animals from their favorite places. But it is necessary to start such activities only at a certain time.

The following periods will be an exception:

• Feeding offspring . Usually mice mate in the fall, and 1-2 cubs appear in the spring. During the feeding period, the female does not leave the habitat, and the small animals cannot fly out of the hole on their own.
• Winter . It is also an unfavorable period for the expulsion of bats. In winter, these animals hibernate; if they are awakened and driven out, they may die.

Expert opinion

Mityuk Stefania Bogdanovna

The best time to expel bats is the beginning of the autumn period.

Before developing a plan to combat animals, determine their habitats. This is not difficult to do - using the droppings that mice leave in large quantities. Animal excrement is dark brown in color with shiny inclusions (these are the remains of the shells of large beetles). Chiropteran droppings cannot be confused with mice or rats. Be sure to mark all the passages through which the animals enter their habitat. Keep in mind that nimble mice can get into holes even 1.5 cm wide.

Body temperature, bat myopia

There is a legend that bats are blind. They actually see, but their vision is not the same as that of humans. In most cases, echo location, that is, ears, helps them navigate in space. Therefore, most animals have large ears.

Echolocation and blindness of bats:

• With their help, they hear sounds and can communicate with each other. A lot of research was carried out on the animals, they were covered with varnish, their eyes were blindfolded to understand how they moved.
• Only several decades later they found out that these animals orient themselves in space, not at all with the help of their eyes and wings. They do this using their ears, that is, the echo of the location.
• They emit sound waves that people cannot hear, the rays bounce off the surface, and these residual vibrations are picked up by locators. Such sense organs help to navigate in space.

Cute animal

About animals of Russia for primary schoolchildren “The Bat”

The French believed that hanging a bat carcass near a house would protect its owners from evil spirits. In China, they are a symbol of happiness; they are considered relatives of fairy-tale dragons. In South America, bat fur adorned the clothing of the nobility, and only members of the royal family could wear it. In Rus' it was believed that bats bring bad luck.

At first glance they seem ugly. An elastic membrane connects the toes of their forelimbs, sides of the body and hind limbs. It turns out to be a kind of wing. The bat's muzzle simultaneously resembles the muzzle of an ordinary mouse and a smaller copy of a pig's snout.

Bats fly out to hunt only at night or at dusk. They can detect the smallest objects in complete darkness. The Italian naturalist Laziaro Spallanzani became interested in this in 1794. He caught several bats and covered their eyes with wax, but the mice continued to flutter as if nothing had happened in the darkest rooms. He then tagged them and released them into the wild. Four days later, knowing where they spent the day, he caught the marked mice and examined their stomachs. It turned out that blind mice hunted no worse than sighted ones. Then he deprived the mice of the sense of touch, covered their bodies with varnish, covered their nostrils, and plugged their ears. And only in the latter case did the mice lose their ability to navigate in the dark and became completely helpless. But the scientist was unable to solve this mystery.

Only in 1942 did the American scientist D.G. Griffin proved that bats use echolocation in flight. While flying, the mouse constantly emits signals that the human ear cannot hear. The mouse, with its huge ears, hears both its own signals and those reflected from various objects. Using these signals, she learns about the location of the object.

Bats' vision is very poor. During the day, after hunting at night, bats sleep, clinging to a branch or rock upside down.

These animals are distributed all over the world, except for the polar regions and islands far from the coast.

They are active only about an hour a day. In the warm season, when there is enough food and the weather does not interfere with hunting, bats sleep almost all day and partly at night. In bad weather, sleep may last for several days. As cold weather approaches, they go into hibernation, which lasts until spring. The main reason for hibernation is not the cold, but a lack of food. In our area, only insectivorous mice are found; in winter there is no food for them.

Chiropterans living in large colonies are characterized by raising their young together. Females, returning from hunting, feed their cubs with milk, not distinguishing which is theirs and which is someone else’s. But there are species in which mothers are very attached to their cubs, perfectly distinguish their own children and do not pay attention to strangers.

These animals live on average 20 years. Scientists know of one female brown bat who lived for 32 years.

Source

How are bats born?

The mating process in bats is quite interesting. In males, sperm matures in the summer, since there is a lot of food at this time. It accumulates in the testes. The mating process itself occurs at the end of autumn, or even in winter, when the animals are half asleep and hide in secluded places, huddled for the winter.

How are bats born?

• Moreover, even a fertilized egg inside the female may not immediately implant into the uterus. The fertilization process will only occur if conditions are favorable. That is, sperm can remain in a female’s body for several months, without fertilization occurring.
• Typically the gestation process is 1-9 months. It all depends on the individual species of bat. Females protect their offspring when they fly away to hunt, leaving them inside the colony. The female most often gives birth to babies head up.
• When the baby comes out, it makes a characteristic squeak. It is by this squeak that a mother recognizes her baby from a crowd of other animals. In case of danger, the baby clings to the mother's nipple with his teeth, digging his claws into the fur. Thus, the mother carries the baby to a safe place. Indeed, females are able to recognize their children by squeaking among the colony.

Animal

I found a bat in winter, what to do? When should you start feeding?

There is practically no point in feeding the animal once. The animal needs long-term feeding if its reserves of subcutaneous fat are running low. You can find out only by weighing the animal on a scale. If you do not have scales, contact your nearest veterinary clinic and ask them to weigh your animal. If you do not have the opportunity to feed the animal, or its weight is within the normal range, then you should place the animal in the cold for the winter as soon as possible (which will be written about later). In the warmth, the bat burns its fat reserves, which will help it survive the winter, and will soon die.

In bats with short fur, such as rufous noctules, the degree of fatness can also be determined visually. In the photo on the left is an exhausted bat that requires additional feeding, while on the right is a well-fed one that can continue wintering without any problems. Please note: in an emaciated animal, the depression at the withers, between the shoulder blades, and also the sunken belly are clearly visible. A well-fed animal does not have such depressions - there is a fat reserve at the withers and between the shoulder blades, and the tummy is moderately rounded.

But most native bat species have long fur that hides their body shapes. In this case, you can determine the degree of fatness of the mouse by touch. The presence or absence of fat at the withers and in the area of ​​the shoulder blades can be very clearly felt.

In our practice, we start feeding animals when their weight is below the norm we have established. So, for the rufous noctule it is 30 grams, for the late moth – 27 grams, for the Mediterranean pipistrelle – 8 grams, two-colored moth – 14 grams. Look

If you do not know what species the bat you found belongs to, please send us a photo of the animal by e-mail [email protected] or on our VKontakte or Facebook page, and we will help you identify the species. You can also contact us by phone numbers listed on the website.

How long does a bat live?

Babies' eyes open at 5-10 days. At first they are completely hairless, the weight of the cub is half the weight of the mother. After about 3-5 weeks, the baby takes its first flight. Under the strict guidance of his mother, he learns to hunt and get his own food. Usually babies are considered mature at the age of four months. They live approximately 5-10 years. Some individuals can live 12 years at home. But this is only if there is a place to fly and good food. They can fly quite far, covering approximately 50 km per day.

Who eats bats, who hunts bats from birds?

There is a lot of information regarding what eats bats. Oddly enough, not so long ago there were cases of tit attacks on animals. Indeed, some birds hunt bats, sometimes even in flight. Sometimes these are large birds, such as eagles, and crows become real bat hunters. However, catching such prey is quite difficult, due to the fact that it develops enormous speed.

Animal

How to attract a bat at home?

A bat flying into a house causes hysterics, as well as the reading of prayers among elderly residents of the apartment. This animal is associated with black magic, so there are many signs regarding the animal flying into the house. You can find out about them in the article “A bat flew into an apartment or house: a sign .

How to attract a bat at home:

1. It is necessary to get rid of and catch the animal. To do this, it is advisable to use humane methods, that is, those that do not lead to the death of the mammal. There is no need to kill the animal.
2. Please note that these animals are carriers of rabies and a large number of viruses. To protect yourself from infection, you need to wear gloves and contact the animal using a towel or cloth.
3. On the street, bats are caught using nets or white cloth. Chiropterans are nocturnal animals; they react quite aggressively to white light and fly towards it.

Animals
cause a lot of trouble to people involved in agriculture, and not at all because they drink the blood of animals. This mammal is a carrier of rabies and other infections. It is noteworthy that vampire bats themselves are immune to rabies, and therefore are insensitive to it. They most often live in flocks; they also prefer to bite prey in company, not alone.

How long do they sleep?

The very concept of “wintering” is relative when it comes to bats. The animals sleep for 5 to 6 months, but can remain in suspended animation for longer. In fact, these animals migrate to their wintering place as soon as the night temperature drops below 12 degrees and remains at this level for some time.

The place where the bat hibernates is permanent. These animals have a specific memory, and as soon as they find a place that best meets the conditions necessary for wintering, they return to it for years.