/r/BatFacts

23,466 Subscribers

23

The penis of the male serotine (Eptesicus serotinus) is around 22% of its body length. In fact, it may be too large for penetrative sex.

3 Comments
2023/11/21
17:22 UTC

17

Flying is exhausting. Bats are voracious.

0 Comments
2023/10/08
16:40 UTC

40

Thanks a shorter gut that prioritizes reducing weight for flight power, food travels the length of a bat’s digestive system in just 15–30 minutes.

2 Comments
2023/09/15
01:56 UTC

39

Cave ecosystems are limited by nutrient availability. Bats bring in new nutrients via their guano, which is often the dominant energy resource of a cave.

1 Comment
2023/08/20
04:16 UTC

66

There's a mysterious 10million year gap in the fossil record between proto-bats and modern bats.

2 Comments
2023/08/16
04:06 UTC

46

Viruses increase their population in bats during the day, at their resting temperature. A bat's temperature can skyrocket by 40 degrees during their nightly exertions, thereby decreasing virus populations in a cyclical event.

3 Comments
2023/08/14
00:32 UTC

88

Mexican free-tailed bats are the fastest and highest flying bats. Topping out at 100mph, they are still under half the speed of the fastest bird: the peregrine falcon.

7 Comments
2023/08/02
00:07 UTC

69

Nectar-eating bats often have hairy tongues, with the hair-like structures acting as extra nectar scoops when they enlarge and stiffen with blood, similar to an erection.

1 Comment
2023/07/17
05:09 UTC

55

Male Seba's Short-tailed Bats (Carollia perspicillata) will punch other males to defend their territory. They have a series of escalating displays before they reach that point to show they are both powerful and serious about throwing down.

3 Comments
2023/07/13
14:35 UTC

131

Vampire bats have a single pup after a 7 month pregnancy, compared to a similarly sized house mouse, which has six pups after a 3 week pregnancy.

9 Comments
2023/06/16
02:17 UTC

428

: )

8 Comments
2023/05/12
21:19 UTC

124

Happy Bat Appreciation Day!

4 Comments
2023/04/17
17:24 UTC

15

The hammerhead bat is sometimes considered a pest, as the males gather in leks, loudly honking 60-120 times per minute. Here's a preserved one with 2 heads.

3 Comments
2023/04/15
22:38 UTC

165

The nugget-shaped Soprano Pipistrelle is named for its elegant songs. They may eat up to 3000 small insects in a night. They were first described in 1999.

2 Comments
2023/04/15
17:16 UTC

159

Wrinkled-face bats are from Central America, and eat fruit with their strong bite force. Males emit an intense odor from their chin to attract females.

5 Comments
2023/04/13
05:35 UTC

421

Bat pups are born with big feet. Their hind limbs have nearly adult size and strength. This helps them hold on to mom during flights, but they can also bite a nipple for extra security.

5 Comments
2023/03/19
10:53 UTC

260

Honduran white bats get their bright yellow color from carotenoid deposits, mainly from the figs they eat. They are the only mammal with this capability and are being studied to combat macular degeneration in humans.

4 Comments
2023/03/16
02:19 UTC

163

In Navajo sand paintings, brown sands form Bat, in its station as one of the eastern guardians. A yellow diamond on its body represents a small skin that Bat received as a reward for helping depose the Gambler, a large and powerful deity.

2 Comments
2023/03/11
18:48 UTC

54

So far, only one bat species has been found to hibernate in snow dens.

3 Comments
2023/03/11
03:21 UTC

93

36 bat species are used as food or for traditional medicine, a practice that spans over 70 countries and hinders conservation.

5 Comments
2023/02/28
23:08 UTC

152

Greater bulldog bats are the loudest bat species, chirping at over 130 decibels as they hunt over open water.

6 Comments
2023/02/22
00:39 UTC

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