Bats are mammals that have fur all over their bodies! They live all over the world (except Antarctica). Bats are all kind of sizes, the bumblebee bat is just 3cm, the flying fox and fruit bats have been found with 1.7m wingspans!

The UK has 17 known species and will roost in anything from trees, caves, mines, bridges and houses! Their diet includes insects, such as moths, beetles and mosquitoes. Bats outside of the UK have been known to eat fruit, flowers, fish, frogs and cow blood! Flying takes up a lot of energy and so Bats have big appetites! A tiny common pipistrelle can eat over 3000 insects in one night! Young bats live off milk for the first two or three months of their life. Bats have really good eyesight, though they use their ears to locate food through echolocation.

Studies have shown that UK Bats are in decline due to developments, roost loss, habitat degradation and changes in farming. Luckily Bats are protected by UK laws!

We have a large number of different types of bats in Bath – many of them use the River Avon corridor to find food and travel along.

Activities

How much do you know about Bats?  Test your knowledge with this quiz!  How many did you get correct, find the answers here

Do you want to help Bats?  Find out what you can do to help our furry friends here!

Join Bat Conservation Trust and get a copy of ‘The Young Batworker’, a magazine perfect for young Bat enthusiasts!  Website: http://www.bats.org.uk/

For fun Batty things to do, please find listed under the Documents section of this page...

Last updated: 29 September 2016

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