Bats look like a small brown mouse. They have a fox-like muzzle large ears and a neck, which is short and well covered with fur. They are flying mammals. They can fly but they are not birds. They do not have feathers on their wings like birds Instead, they have double layers of skin stretched over their bones.
There are nearly a thousand different kinds of bats which vary in size. The largest bat has been recorded as having a wing span of over 150 cm. But most bats are small creatures with rather large wings. A vampire bat's body is only about 9 cm long with a wing span of up to 18 cm. Most bats are nocturnal creatures, which means that they are active only at night. They sleep during the day and come out at night in search of food.
Bats hang upside down by their feet when they rest or sleep. They often live in caves where there may be thousands of them crowded together on the walls and ceiling. Smaller bat colonies of up to twelve bats may live together inside a hollow cave. They sleep close together for warmth.
Most bats live on insects and help pest control. Some of them eat fruit and flowers also. Vampire bats feed on blood. They use their sharp teeth and tube-like tongue to suck animals' blood. These bats are dangerous to human beings and domestic animals.
Bats have sensitive ears, which help them to locate their prey as well as obstacles. The high-pitched squeaks made by bats produce echoes. They catch these echoes and are able to make a sound picture of what is around them. They do not need to use their eyes much. As blind as a bat is a common usage, but it is not true to say that bats are totally blind.
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