What do bats eat?

Bats are the only mammals that have evolved the ability to fly, also known as rats, hanging rats, bats and so on. There are now 19 families, 185 genera and 961 species, distributed all over the world except in the polar regions and some islands in the ocean, most in the tropics and subtropics. Most of them rest during the day and hunt for food at night. Let's take a look at what bats eat.

What kind of food do bats eat?

Bats eat a wide range of foods, including fruit, fish, pollen and even blood. Some species like nectar and fruit, some like to eat fish, frogs and insects, some species feed on animal blood, and some even eat other bats. Generally speaking, large bats generally feed on fruit or nectar, while most small bats prey on insects.

Where are the bats distributed?

There are more than 900 species of bats in the world, and there are about 81 species in China. It can be roughly divided into two categories: big bats and small bats. Large bats are distributed in the tropics and subtropics of the Old Hemisphere. They are larger and more primitive in body structure, including 1 family of Pteropodidae. Small bats are distributed in tropical and temperate regions of the eastern and western hemispheres, with smaller size and more specialized body structure, including more than ten families, such as chrysanthemum bat family, horseshoe bat family, leaf mouth bat family, vampire bat family, bat family and so on.

What are the species of bats?

1. Fruit bat: fruit bat is one of the largest species of bats. Some species have a wingspan of up to 2 meters, and both fingers have claws. The eye is big, the tail is short, and is not covered by the skin membrane. Looking for food at dawn and dusk, the juice in the fruit and stamens does some harm to the fruit trees. Mainly distributed in the tropics and subtropics. There are few species in China, which is limited to the provinces of southern China and is now suspected to be the host of Ebola virus.

2. Hoofed bats: hoofed bats are distributed in the tropics and subtropics of the Old World, ranging from small to large. Like the chrysanthemum-headed bat, it has horseshoe-shaped nose leaves, but not as complex as the chrysanthemum-headed bat, with medium-sized ears and no tragus like the chrysanthemum-headed bat. They feed on a wide variety of insects and often form large groups in caves. Some hoofed bats adapt to live in human living areas, the number is very large, can prey on a large number of pests.

3. Fox bat: the fox bat is one of the largest bat species in the world. It is larger than the average bat, and its wings are more than 90 centimeters long. Because its head is shaped like a fox and its muzzle is long and protruding, it is called a fox bat. Hang upside down on big branches in groups during the day, and go out in groups at night, foraging for wild fruits and stamens, which does great harm to the orchard. 1 litter per child, hibernating in caves in winter. Lai's fox bat is distributed in Yunnan, China, and Taiwan fox bat is found in Taiwan.

4. Dog bat: the dog bat is of medium size, with a length of 95 mm and 103 mm, a forearm of 68 mm and a tubular nostril. The back of the body is olive brown, the side of the body is ochre brown, the ventral surface is rusty yellow, the hair below the abdomen is short brownish green, the neck side is curry yellow, and the ear edge is light. Widely distributed in South and Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, in China in Hainan, Guangdong, Fujian, Yunnan, Xizang, Guangxi, mainly inhabiting tropical forests and homes.