by Thedore Colcher (6th)

Of all the animals of the modern world, one sticks out among them. It’s a shadowy figure in the night, with wings as sharp as claws. They come out at night and rest at day, making them one of the nocturnal creatures of today.

If you didn’t know I’m talking about bats, you might want to read this. This article will contain many cool facts about the animal, most of which you probably don’t know.

When you think of a bat, you probably think of small black, winged creatures who rest in the morning and wake up to do whatever activities they wish to do at night. You may think that bats are nocturnal because they were simply born that way, but that isn’t exactly true. You see, bats are very smart, and they know that if they were to hunt in the morning, there would be many animals competing for food. Because of this, bats wake up at night to find food.

Another reason why bats wake up when you go to sleep is because they are hard to spot while flying at night, so predators are less likely to find bats. Just think about it for a second. If you’re an animal that eats bats for breakfast, how easy do you think it would be to spot a black speck in the vast night sky? It would be pretty hard, wouldn’t it? It’s one of the reasons why most bats don’t die from getting eaten.

From prey to predator, bats eat a lot of insects, with most bats only eating insects. They  are the most common predator that is nocturnal, which is pretty cool! Bats are pretty good hunters as they can locate and catch insects easily using echolocation, which gives them a full belly for the day. In the end, bats are not only tricky prey to catch, but dangerous predators as well.

Have you ever heard the phrase “as blind as a bat?” Well, believe it or not, bats are not actually blind. This theory may have started as a result of them using echolocation (as I said earlier), though bats possess fully functional eyes. So next time someone calls you “as blind as a bat,” you shouldn’t care as much, as you now know that statement is entirely false.

Quick little fun fact: bats are the only mammals that possess the ability to fly. While other mammals may have wings, bats are the only ones that are fully capable of flight. So bats are very different compared to the other mammals.

In conclusion, bats are amazing flying creatures that you may have learned a few facts about by reading this! I hope you have a great day!