How Many Species Of Insects Eating Bats Are There In The World?
Insect-eating bats are a diverse group with 18 families, containing about 780 species. They eat a wide range of foods, including insects, fish, small mammals, fruit, pollen, nectar and, in the case of the vampire bats, blood. Insect-eating bats have short snouts and complex noses with numerous folds and flaps, called leaves, to aid the production of echolocation pulses. Their ears are often equally complicated, with an additional lobe in front of the ear cavity called a tragus. The eyes are small, and although they are not blind, bats navigate mostly by sound rather than by sight. Many species have well-developed tail membranes. They range further north than flying foxes, occurring in both tropical and temperate regions. In areas where food is scarce for certain seasons, many species hibernate or migrate. In populated areas, many insect eating bats make their homes in old towers, barns, attics, tunnels, under bridges and inside hollow walls, as well as among rocks and thick vegetation.
