Buzz
1. Overview
Bats are a species of animal that, despite their similar appearance when flying, differ greatly in size. The size of bats depends on the variation in the physical appearance of each individual. The smallest bat species is the Kitti's hog-nosed bat, with an average length ranging from 29 to 34mm, and they are classified as one of the smallest mammals on the planet. On the other hand, the largest bat species is the flying foxes, with a wingspan reaching up to 1.7 meters and weighing 1kg, equivalent to 2.2 pounds.
Bat species vary greatly in color and fur texture, with their skin color not being uniform in one shade. With over 1,200 different bat species, the diversity in color is immense. Generally, their dominant skin color remains dark shades like gray or brown, with some individuals having yellow-orange hues and combined with yellow and red spots.
The shape of their faces, mainly ears and snouts, varies between different family groups and mainly between genera. In some families, a distinctive feature with a structured flap of flesh called a nose leaf surrounds the nostrils. The wing shape of bats is essentially their arms; in ancient Greek, the word 'bat' means 'arm,' as bats have elongated four fingers and a thumb, each connected by a membrane like we commonly see in the feet of ducks and geese.
A characteristic of bats is their nocturnal feeding habits and daytime sleep. When sleeping, they often hang upside down, clinging to walls or cliffs, and fold their wings around their bodies like a cocoon. Bats prefer darkness, so their sleeping or hiding places are often cliffs, caves, or even the roofs of our homes.
2. Reproductive Behavior of Bats
As mentioned above, bats are mammals, so they reproduce by giving birth rather than laying eggs and nurse their young with mother's milk. Bat pups, when not cared for, often fall to the ground. Their breeding season falls in early summer when food sources are plentiful and abundant. When born, bat pups cling to their mothers, and bat species develop rapidly, causing significant interference to the mother bat's flying or foraging. Therefore, each year, mother bats only give birth to one pup for easier and convenient care.
In three weeks, bats can grow fully but not completely mature. When born, they usually live in caves, trees, or wooden posts.
Bat pups often fall to the ground when not cared for. However, bat pups can cling to their mothers and move together. Bat pups grow rapidly, so it will be very difficult if mother bats have to carry multiple pups at once. That is why mother bats only give birth once a year. Flight ability is innate; however, when newly born, bat wings are too small to fly. Small bat species (belonging to the suborder Microchiroptera) can fly when they are 6 to 8 weeks old, while large bat species (belonging to the suborder Megachiroptera) take 4 months to learn to fly. Bats reach adulthood at 2 years old. The average lifespan of bats is about 20 years, although the bat population is not large due to low birth rates.
3. Diet of Bats
The food source of bats depends on the species of bat, but their primary diet remains insects. Thanks to their fast flying ability, insects are not heavy competitors for bats, which collect them from surfaces of ponds, bodies, and leaves. Bats living in tropical belts mainly feed on ripe fruits, commonly seen in our daily lives such as dates, figs, or mangoes... Additionally, pollen, nectar, grasshoppers, lizards, or arthropods are also abundant sources of bat food.
In the Moscow region, farmers or gardeners have shown creativity by attracting these bats into land plots, where their task is to eliminate harmful insects and pollinate plants.
In some parts of the world, various species of bats are found to eat meat such as birds, frogs, lizards, and small chickens - all of which are included in the bat's meat-eating diet. These species or individuals differ in appearance compared to those that eat insects: they have a more robust body combined with sharp teeth and a good prey-catching ability thanks to their wide wingspan.
Every year, bats are not found to appear in winter because they have entered hibernation. The peak hunting time for bats falls around the autumn, as this is the period when they need to store food or accumulate fat because it is difficult to find food when it gets cold. An interesting feature when bats enter a hibernation state is that their metabolism or body temperature decreases significantly to the point that they freeze literally.
4. Bats Exhibit Remarkable Species Diversity
The bat order is one of the most diverse in the world, with approximately 1,240 different species discovered by scientists to date. Bats represent about 20% of mammalian species on the planet, equivalent to every 5 animal species having 1 bat. In the United States alone, experts have identified over 50 different bat species.
All bat species on Earth, totaling around 1,200, are divided into 2 main suborders: Megachiroptera (large bats) and Microchiroptera (small bats). Besides species diversity, bats also vary greatly in size, from the giant Acerodon jubatus bat with a wingspan of up to 1.5 meters, to the tiny members like the Itty Bitty bat with a wingspan of only 15 cm. It is known that most bat species feed on fruits and small creatures. However, there are still 3 members of the bat order with blood-sucking abilities, perhaps the reason why this animal is associated with the vampire stereotype.
These ancient bats have different flight styles and appearances compared to modern bat species. Onychonycteris had claws on all five digits of each forelimb, whereas modern bats have at most two claws. They also had longer hind limbs and shorter forelimbs than modern bats, convenient for climbing trees. Their short, broad wings did not allow them to fly fast or far like modern bats. Although capable of flapping, Onychonycteris mostly glided from tree to tree, spending much of their time climbing and perching on branches.
5. Bats in Culture and Human Life
Bats have been anthropomorphized and featured prominently in movies and stories. While some beliefs depict bats as blood-sucking and vicious creatures, in films, bats are often anthropomorphized into superheroes who save humanity.
In culture, bats are portrayed in various movies, novels, comics, etc., often depicted as blood-sucking animals with sharp, terrifying white fangs, harming humans and animals, embodying vampires. Some fictional characters related to bats include Batman, a superhero from the United States; Phi Thiên Biển, the master of Quách Tĩnh; Thanh Dực Bức vương Vi Nhất Tiếu in novels by Kim Dung; Biên bức công tử in novels by Cổ Long; Phan Văn Đỉnh in Special Agent Bat, etc.
In the culture of East Asian people, the image of bats is often used for decoration due to the belief that bats will bring good luck.
In human life, bats also contribute significantly to protecting crops by controlling pests, aiding in pollination, and dispersing seeds, thus promoting widespread plant reproduction. We have just learned about some characteristics and meanings of bats in human life. Hopefully, this article will be useful to those who are interested in learning about bats - the most populous mammal in the animal kingdom today.
6. Bat Guano's Role in Making Gunpowder
According to analysis by scientists, bat guano contains a high amount of potassium nitrate or saltpeter. This chemical is the main component in many types of fertilizers. Additionally, it is also used to make gunpowder and fuses. In the past, especially during the American Civil War, bat guano was considered a significant resource for both sides. Because from this waste material, saltpeter (a compound that was relatively scarce) could be extracted to supply the military. This is the raw material for making saltpeter - a type of black powder. Simply by dissolving bat guano in water, then concentrating and drying it. The process of making gunpowder from bat guano is also very primitive; people use bat guano in caves dissolved in water, concentrate and dry it, then mix it with wood charcoal powder to create an explosive mixture. Wood charcoal acts as a reducing agent while saltpeter acts as an oxidizing agent.
Moreover, bat guano is also applied in medicine - used as a medicinal drug. Some diseases are believed to be treatable with bat guano, such as: epilepsy, eye diseases, scabies, body odor, burnt and ingested to induce abortion... Bat guano is also known as guano or bat dung.
Furthermore, bat guano is organic fertilizer with high nutrient content. Especially in bat guano, the N-P-K content is quite high, especially the highest Phosphorus content. This is considered the most distinctive feature of bat guano compared to other organic fertilizers. Additionally, bat guano contains various macro, meso, and microelements. Bat guano contains numerous beneficial bacteria for soil and destroys harmful insects for plants. Because of these differences, bat guano is sought after by many people for purchase.
In bat guano, there are beneficial bacteria for the growth of crops, which can prevent harmful insects in the soil, so when using bat guano, people will not have to use other chemical drugs. Therefore, planting vegetables and fruits is extremely cost-saving for other chemical expenses while ensuring extremely fresh and clean vegetables and fruits. A diverse beneficial bacteria system will make the soil very suitable for crop growth. Land environment improvement, environmentally friendly, high-quality fresh and safe products for consumers are all that bat guano brings to users when applied to crops.
7. Bats: The Only Mammals Capable of Flight
Despite their flying abilities, bats are unequivocally mammals. Through the process of evolution, these creatures have developed a thin membrane connecting their front limbs to their bodies, forming a unique pair of wings, enabling them to access the skies. In addition to flight, bats retain most of the characteristics of mammals, especially the nurturing of young with milk.
Species in this order share many common traits with insect-eating mammals and can be considered a branch of insect-eating mammals adapted for flight transport. The forelimbs have transformed into wings. The fingers, except for one, are very long and have stretched, thin, hairless membranes. The membrane connects not only the forelimb to the hindlimb but also the hindlimb to the tail. Large chest muscles. Bats also exhibit a unique hanging posture (hanging upside down). Bats emit ultrasonic waves at frequencies of 50,000 - 70,000 Hz. Thanks to receiving ultrasound in their ears, bats can estimate the distance of obstacles. However, no bat relies solely on echolocation but also combines observation from their eyes while flying. For fruit-eating bats, their visual system is highly developed, located right on top of their heads. In contrast, insect-eating species have smaller eyes, often used to determine altitude relative to the ground, discern light levels, distinguish between day and night to choose suitable hunting times, assess the size of prey or obstacles, as well as navigate while flying to find food.
