Bats are flying mammals belonging to the order Chiroptera.With forelimbs adjusted as wings, bats are known to be the only mammals with the ability of flying. They make fluttering sounds with their wings while flying and bats reside in a close-knit roosting group which helps them to improve their reproduction success.Bats are usually known to be creatures of the dark as they can’t look at the light and very much like owls, they are nocturnal animals who can see in the dark. Bats have been commonly represented in movies and are often seen as bad omens. They can be found in all parts of the world except for polar regions and in deserts.Researchers also maintain the fact that this species is known for spreading germs and often causing various diseases. These mammals have wings that are covered by a layer or membrane, also referred to as a patagium. The largest known bat species are flying foxes and amongst them, Acerodon jubatus, or the giant golden-crowned flying fox weighs the most at about 2.6 lb (1.17 kg) and has a wingspan of about 5.6 ft (1.7 m). Bats are considered to be the second-largest group amongst mammals and come immediately after rodents. There are about 1400 species of bats.Bats can be divided into two suborders; the echolocating microbats and the fruit-eating megabats. Bats mostly depend upon insects and nectar from flowers for survival and are, therefore, called insectivores and nectarivores. Although, there is another type of bat that feeds on the blood of other animals with one example being vampire bats. These animals can mostly be found in sites like caves and in dark places, and can be seen hanging upside down from trees where they roost.Found in almost all places of the world, bats are not found in Antarctica. Although bats are often viewed with disgust by people, these amazing animals contribute a lot to the ecosystem. They play a big function in keeping away pests and most importantly, they help in pollination. Many flowers depend upon creatures like bats for transferring their pollen grains. Often, bat dung mined as guano is used as a very productive fertilizer. Thus, amongst many disadvantages, these creatures of the dark are quite helpful too. Bats are known to live until around the age of 30 years as part of a close-knit group with members of similar species.After learning the facts about different names for a young bat, why not also learn some more interesting facts that answer the questions what is a group of lions called and what is a baby giraffe called?What is a baby bat called?Young ones of various animals are given specific names and baby bats also have a specific name. The young of cats are called kittens, the young dogs are called puppies, the younger ones of tigers and foxes are called cubs. In the same manner, young bats are called pups and they have feet covered with fur.You see, a young bat is assumed to have become an adult the moment it grows big in size and is able to fly off like its mother and can hunt and look for food on its own. Bats don’t give birth by laying eggs. Instead, much like humans and other mammals, they give birth to their pups. Normally, a bat can give birth to one pup at a time but there have been cases of twin pups from a mother bat. A pup, following its birth, is left in the roost and waits for its mother to come back home so that they can feed on her milk. Mothers keep the pup nearby and take care of its requirements before the baby is ready for a flight on its own.The milk is highly nourishing for the little one who gains strength and grows in size because of it. For the first few weeks when the pup is fragile, it is important that these amazing animals don’t trip or fall as they are at a high chance of death. Often, young pups can die while learning how to fly. Once the pup reaches about three to six weeks of age, it is grown up enough and is capable of hunting on its own. Bats like the big brown bat’s pups can start exploring through flight once they are five weeks old.Why is a baby bat called a pup?Bats all over the world go into hibernation and during spring they awaken from hibernation. It is during spring they mate and have babies called pups.Pups are born tiny but they can grow up fast within a few weeks. Some of the young ones are known to fly on their own by the time they are a month old. When pups are born they don’t have hair on their bodies and are tiny. They look pinkish and scrawny. Like all other mammals, they feed on their mother’s milk for nourishment and take several weeks to grow big in size.However, pups all over the world are born with sharp claws and strong legs, the reason behind which is they have to hang on to their mother while she is roosting and also sometimes to the cave walls or to other surfaces where they live. These pups have feet covered with fur. There have been instances when a baby pup loses grip on its mother and falls off, resulting in death within its own habitat.Like all other mammals, a bat gives birth to a young one and normally produces one pup at a time but there are cases when two pups or twins have been produced at a time. Mothers are known to take care of all the requirements of the babies until they are ready to live on their own.What is the size of a baby bat?Baby bats are called pups. Just like the young ones of cats are called kittens, babies of dogs are called puppies, and young ones of tigers are called cubs, the young ones of bats are called pups.Bats reproduce by giving birth to young ones. Very much like humans, these big, flying mammals reproduce in the same way. In one go a bat can produce one pup at a time but there are cases when twin bats are produced as well. The little ones of bats are born without hairs, are pinkish in color, and have strong legs and sharp claws to hold on to their mothers while they are roosting.A pup is about 2 in (5 cm) in size and weighs less than 0.25-0.33 oz (7.08-9.47 gm). The pups cling to their mother for the first few weeks until they gain the ability to fly. The baby bats are born quiet and they sound much like birds. There are nearly 1400 species of bats and amongst them, 47 species have been discovered only in the United States over the years.Bats are nocturnal animals and hunt for food in the dark. They locate obstacles in front of them by emitting high-pitched sounds which are inaudible to humans. If they find that the sound returns back, then they understand that there is an obstacle nearby and thereby avoid that path. This method is called echolocation and is a technique used by bats to locate obstacles and food.When feeding on mosquitoes throughout the year, bats eat no less than about 1200 mosquitoes at a time. The young ones feed upon their mother’s milk for nourishment. During cold seasons they go into hibernation in order to protect themselves from the cold. Mothers can locate their pups by following their scent and unique voices in order to save them from predators. Several bat species face extinction because it can take over a year before the next pup is born, limiting their population in their natural habitat.What is the name of a group of baby bats?Bats keep their habitat along with a colony of other bats. Thus, a group of bats is called a colony but can also be referred to as a cauldron, camp, or cloud.Like many other animals which roam or hunt in groups, in a similar way bats too fly in groups. A group of bats is called a colony. Bats fly in colonies in order to avoid the danger posed by predators. A group of bats is also called a cloud or camp of bats. You can often spot a colony of bats hanging together from the roof of a cave or at other sites asleep and all huddled together.A group of bats is also called a cloud because it refers to the huge black cloud of bats that flies in search of food for hunting. Often, a group of bats is also called a camp because of their tendency to set up an organization or a temporary camp at any place and at any time. A common question posed by many people is ‘do bats poop from their mouth?’ Well, the answer to this is an obvious no. Bats spend most of their time upside down hanging from the roofs of caves or the branches of trees.Still, they don’t poop from their mouths. Like other creatures, they discharge their excreta from the excretory organs which are not their mouth. Bats have an anus for discharging the waste products and they mostly poop during the time of their flight. Bats often perch themselves to relieve waste materials from their body as bats need to sit upright in order to poop properly. You will often come across bat poops in unused, old houses and stone caves.These places are where bats live for a long time. Their droppings, called guano, cover many things. Often, bats are known to return back to their previous nesting site and often add to the droppings left by them before. A bat’s guano is often eaten by insects present near the nesting site as it is rich in nutrients from the food that the bats have eaten. Creatures like frogs take a liking to bat guano and feed on it as their primary source of food.Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for what is a baby bat called then why not take a look at what is a baby swan called, or what is a baby rabbit called?
Bats are flying mammals belonging to the order Chiroptera.
