Do All Types Of Bat Hibernate At Some Time During The Year?
Not all bats hibernate. Many do not need to, since food is available throughout the year for the species that do not live in temperate climates. The large tropical flying foxes, for example, can always find enough to eat as there are plenty of flying insects available all year round, and their metabolic rate stays well above the levels normally observed in hibernating bats, even when they sleep. Bats are warm blooded as they are mammals and they need to cool themselves if the surrounding temperature is high; in such situations, the animals spread their wings out and fan them in the wind to allow heat to radiate from the blood capillary networks in the membranes. If the air temperature drops below comfortable levels, flying foxes wrap their wings around themselves like cloaks to provide effective wind proofing. Some tropical species have been known to show periods of inactivity similar to hibernation when food is short, but their body temperature remains high throughout this time, never
