02 Dec,2023
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The giant golden-crowned flying fox represents the other extreme in bat size: this species can reach 3 pounds with an impressive 5.5-foot wingspan. Such a huge bat might, for some, be the stuff of horror movies. But a quick look reveals they resemble a child’s plush toy more than a vampire.
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The fastest mammal on earth doesn’t run. It flies. A paper published by University of Tennessee researchers found that the Mexican free-tailed bat could reach speeds up to 100 mph, making it by far the fastest mammal on earth.
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Clustered together on a leaf, Honduran white bats look like little cotton balls. But the striking white coloration actually serves an evolutionary purpose. Honduran white bats are one of 22 species of tent-making bats that live in the Central American forest.
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Many bats are insectivorous, but only one percent feed on vertebrate prey. One of the most intriguing is the ghost bat, an Australian species that uses a variety of hunting techniques. Like insectivorous bats, it uses echolocation, but not all the time.
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The diminutive Kitti’s hog-nosed bat is often labeled the world’s smallest mammal. Some shrews weigh less, but this bat is nonetheless one tiny critter. It weighs about as much as a dime and could fit comfortably on your thumb. It is frequently called the bumblebee bat, as it does indeed resemble a bee as it zips through the air.
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The greater bulldog bat is a master angler, catching up to 40 fish a night. And it uses a highly unusual fishing strategy. The bat flies over the water, using echolocation to detect the jumps or ripples of small fish.
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Up close, many bats have intriguing faces, but arguably none more so than the aptly named wrinkle-faced bat. This bat looks like it just strolled out of a Star Wars cantina. Despite it’s somewhat frightful appearance, this bat only eats fruit.
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The Bat Cleft Cave in Australia’s Mount Etna Caves National Park en masse to prey on insects, but the bats themselves also become prey. As the bats emerge, the viewer sees snakes and large frogs feasting on bats.
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Lesser long-nosed bats have been persecuted relentlessly due to various superstitions. In the 1990s, a fresh wave of bat killings occurred in Mexico due to fears of the Chupacabra, a mythical beast thought to be half-man, half-bat.
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Vampire bats are one of the bat species that legitimately creep humans out, and that have led to endless horror stories. These bats do feed exclusively on blood. They also exhibit some really fascinating behaviors.
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