Thread by @EhlersDanlosgrl, Bats are freakin’ cool. Here’s a #BatThread! (nananananana) Over time, early existing [...]

Bats are freakin’ cool.

Here’s a #BatThread!

(nananananana)

Over time, early existing bats have adapted and changed into MANY different species depending on their location and the environmental changes that have occurred to their ecosystems.
AND THAT’S ON EVOLVING

From the paleochiropteryx (an extinct genus of bat from the Middle Eocene of Europe) all the way to modern bat specie varieties like the Kitti’s hog-nosed bat (lovingly donned the bumblebee bat) and the infamous “Vampire Bats” (whose claim to fame is, of course, Dracula&co.)

Unlike the bats who appear as the alternate forms of shape-shifting creatures of the night though, REAL bats are actually:
SUPER. FREAKIN’. AWESOME.

*my time to shineeeee*

About 1/4 of the mammal species in the world are bats. There’s been over 1,100 different species of bats identified to date, but scientists say there’s evidence suggesting even more that are yet to be identified.

COOL!

Large Flying Foxes (Pteropus Vampyrus), also known as the “MEGABAT”, are HUGE. They grow about a foot or so in length and can have a wingspan around 5 1/2 feet.

THAT’S A BIG SKY PUPPY!

Hate being covered in itchy mosquito bites every time you try to go outside during warmer months? GOOD NEWS: thanks to BATS, the mosquito population is actually:

MANAGEABLE AS HECKSIES!

A single bat can eat up to 1,200 mosquitos PER HOUR. Without bats, the earth would be overran by an ever growing mosquito population. Ecosystems would be demolished.

I’D SAY THEY’RE MORE “SUPER” THAN BATMAN!

In the U.S. alone, bats can do up to $3.7 BILLION worth of pest control EVERY YEAR! AND WE GET THAT FREEEEEEE!!

BAT-A-BING!

Do you like chocolate? Bananas? Avocados?Bats are some of the BEST pollinators! Without bats, over 300 kinds of fruit and nuts would disappear.

Bat droppings (guano) make incredibly effective natural fertilizer AND because their diet consists of so many buggies, their poop contains chitin from insect exoskeletons which makes some plops SPARKLE

TRY GROWING A WHOLE FOREST WITH BORING OL’ NON-SPARKLY BEE POO

!!

Just like bears, some species of bat hibernate during the cold months in caves.

Other bats actually migrate in search for warmer climates and better food sources year round

BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, RIGHT MILEY??

Some bats have even evolved to be able to withstand FREEZING temperatures, even surviving being completely encased in ice or frost!

I WON’T LET THAT FACT GO!

Pallid Bats are immune to scorpion venom. 70% of their diet at certain times of the year can be made up of just scorpions! It’s been mentioned by researchers that a

venom antidote could be made using their DNA in the future! IF ONLY THERE WAS A SCORPIO ANTIDOTE

ba-dm-tssS

A bat’s vocal chords are specially structured to be able to emit high frequency sounds for echolocation. They can find a snack anytime, day or night, EVEN in pure darkness!
How many people have stubbed a toe trying to get to their fridge at 2am?

NOT BATS BISH!

Another cool bat feature is that they have RIDICULOUSLY fast metabolisms that make them capable of fully digesting almost anything (all the way from insects to full mangoes!) in about 20 minutes!

MY DIGESTIVE TRACT COULD NEVER

Though vampire bats get a bad rep for all the monster movies they’ve made appearances in, there’s actually an anticoagulant that can be found in their saliva which could soon help scientists create a treatment for human cardiac patients!

DON’T YOU JUST

THAT??

Bats WASH behind their cute FLIPPIN EARS.
They spend hours a day cleaning themselves and each other.

SPLISH-SPLASH THEY WAS TAKIN A BAT(H)!

Bats have very few natural predators. However, their populations dwindle every year due to deforestation, construction, vandalism, and even disease.

Even if disease were not a problem, healthy bats can also only have one pup (baby) on average per year, which adds to the concerns surrounding their possible extinction of things don’t change...