Click to Enlarge Bats live together in colonies and often "hang out" in caves (top right). By listening for echoes from their high pitched cries,bats can fly and find food in total darkness.The Ozark big-eared bat, a close relative of the Townsend's big-eared bat (bottom left), is now extinct in Missouri. Click to Enlarge Disturbing hibernating bats, like this cluster of newborn gray bats,makes them use up the energy they are trying to conserve. People who explore caves used to be called spelunkers but now are called cavers.They often find piles of bat dung, or guano (above right), that have built up over centuries.   Beauty of Bats by Theresa Ann Hamilton Beauty You don't have to be able to see in the dark to discover the... With their furry bodies and sharp, pointed teeth, bats won't win many beauty contests, but these little mammals do play an important role in nature. Chiroptera is the scientific name for bats. It means hand-wing. Bats have arms, hands and feet, just like you do. In Chinese, the word for bat, "Fu," means good fortune! Of the nearly 1,000 bat species in the world, only 14 species live in Missouri. The hoary bat is Missouri's largest. It has a 15-inch wingspan. The flying fox is the largest bat in the world. Found in Africa and Asia, it sports a 6-foot wingspan. You can see an Indian flying fox bat at the St. Louis Zoo. The bumblebee bat from Thailand is the smallest bat. It weighs less than a penny. Bats live together in colonies and some "hang out" in caves. Missouri, also known as "The Cave State," has at least 5,700 caves where bats can live. Many forms of cave life depend on the nutrients brought in by bats in their guano, which is what their droppings are called. Piles of guano may build up beneath where bats roost. In the summer, Missouri bats also may live in trees, attics and bat houses. During the cold winter months, when insects are not available for food, bats usually hibernate in caves, mines or rock crevices. Some bats migrate to warmer places. When bats hibernate, their heart rate, breathing rate and body temperature are reduced to conserve energy. A hibernating bat can live on a small amount of stored fat for about six months. It's estimated that a hibernating bat uses up 10 to 30 days of fat reserves when it is disturbed. That's why it is so important that people stay out of bat caves in the winter. Humans are the biggest threat to most bats. That's because people sometimes destroy their habitat or disturb their hibernation and nursery roosts. Bat populations all over the world are declining. In the United States, nearly 30 percent of our bat species are either listed as endangered by the federal government, or are candidates for such listing. The gray bat and Indiana bat are two Missouri species on the federal endangered species list. The endangered Ozark big-eared bat is no longer found in Missouri. Most female bats have only one baby, called a pup, per year. When pups are born, they are already one-third of their adult weight. Like other mammals, a bat gets milk from its mother until it is able to find food on its own. Baby bats grow fast. Most are able to fly in four to five weeks. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Flying squirrels don't actually fly, they glide. A sound experiment Bats have big, cupped ears. The ears help them hear better by capturing sound. Try this experiment, and you'll discover how big ears can help you hear better. Listen to some soft music, or have a friend say something in a quiet voice. Now cup your hands behind each of your ears so that your palms face forward and listen to the same sounds. Are the sounds louder and clearer when you have your hands cupped behind your ears? Many bats use echolocation to find food and navigate in the dark. A bat lets out a high-pitched cry, and its ears pick up the returning echoes. A bat's brain is able to tell from the echoes what is food and what it should avoid. Bats are helpful. All bats in Missouri eat thousands of flying insects every night. Some tropical bats help disperse fruit seeds through their droppings, and nectar-feeding bats help pollinate many kinds of plants. Some of the foods we eat, including bananas, avocados, and cashews, come from bat-pollinated plants. Invite a bat to dinner Bats make great neighbors because a single bat might eat as many as 600 mosquitoes per hour. Build bat houses to invite bats into your backyard. Bat houses are similar to bird houses, but their entrance is on the bottom, and not in the front. Attracting bats to your neighborhood will reduce insects while providing bats a home. The Conservation Department offers bat housebuilding plans on its website at <www.mdc.mo.gov/nathis/woodwork/ww15/>. Bat house plans, kits and books are also available from Bat Conservation International, Inc. Visit their website at: <www.batcon.org>. Remember that you should never touch a wild bat, especially if it is on the ground or acting strangely. Tell your parents or an adult so they can call the local animal control unit. Be a bat ambassador You can help Missouri conservationists protect bats and their habitat by becoming a "Bat Ambassador." Share your bat knowledge with others, build a bat house, and do not disturb bats in their natural habitat. If we all become "Bat Ambassadors," we can help others discover the beauty of bats. 10 Questions about Bats 1. What do bats eat? Missouri bats only eat flying insects. Other bats around the world eat fish, mice, birds, frogs, fruit, nectar and pollen. 2. Are bats really blind? We hear the saying, "Blind as a bat," but bats can see as well as other mammals. They just don't see color. 3. Why don't I see more bats? Bats are nocturnal, which means they are most active at night and sleep in the day. 4. What is guano? Guano is bat droppings. It looks a lot like mice droppings, but guano contains tiny bits of insects. It sparkles in the sunshine and has a crumbly texture. Guano makes great fertilizer and is often mined from caves. 5. What eats bats? Snakes, raccoons and birds of prey are some of the animals that eat bats. 6. Can bats fly into my hair? It's possible, but it doesn't happen often. If a bat flies toward you, stay still so it can use its echolocation to avoid you. 7. Do bats carry rabies? Less than one-half of one percent of bats have rabies. 8. Will bats suck my blood? Only vampire bats like blood, but they don't attack humans. 9. Are vampire bats in the U.S.? A species of vampire bat lived in North America long ago, but today they don't live farther north than Mexico. 10. Why do bats hang upside-down? Hanging from high places helps protect bats from predators. Their uniquely designed feet allow bats to hang upsidedown without exerting energy. A high resting place also gives a bat an easy way to launch itself into flight. A bat simply lets go of its perch. Gravity makes it pick up speed as it falls, then it opens its wings to fly.