Boo! When You Go to the Loo

We all know that bats go boo and we don’t like it. But what happens when you go to the loo? You might find a bat there! Learn about these interesting creatures, their habits and how you can identify them.

Did you know that there are more than 1,100 species of bats in the world? In North America alone, there are 47 different species and most of them can be found roosting or flying around your neighborhood. Bats live wherever food is available and a suitable home can be found. Roosts may contain hundreds to millions of bats at once!

There are two main types of bats, Microbats (which emit high-frequency sounds to navigate and hunt) and Mega bats (which use sight). There are also some species that use both methods for navigation. Some facts about bats:

Bats aren’t rodents; they belong to their own scientific order called Chiroptera. Humans are scientifically classified in a different order called Primates, named after the Latin word for first, which is Prima.

Bats have a bad reputation in most cultures across the world and with good reason: they can carry rabies and other nasty diseases that affect humans. However, only three out of 1,100 species of bats (that’s about 0.3 percent) are actually dangerous to humans. And only three of the 47 North American species have rabies, so you’re more likely to be hit by lightning than bitten by a rabid bat!

Bats are nocturnal animals; that means they sleep during the day and wake up at dusk. You can always tell when a bat is around because it will swoop and circle its prey and fly right into your hair, which sounds creepy but is actually something they do to get away from predators.

When bats fly around looking for food, they emit echolocation calls that bounce off their surroundings and return to their ears, which gives them a good sense of where they are. This technique is similar to the way ships and airplanes navigate when GPS isn’t available.

However, bats can still get lost or confused in places like under bridges and in dark spaces such as attics and caves (and even your basement!). They also depend on their sight to get around, just like you. If you’ve ever wandered into a dark room and hit something, you might have known that it would happen before it actually did. Bats can do the same thing!

And if you’re wondering how they land on the ceiling upside down without falling off…they don’t always land with their feet down! Most bats land with their wings outstretched and their claws in contact with the surface.

Bats are mammals that give birth to one baby at a time. The mother nurses her young either with milk or regurgitated food, depending on the species of bat.