SAPL - Read the Zoo: Short-Tailed Fruit Bat

Read the Zoo: Bats

Squeak!...Squeak!...Squeak!...

Short-Tailed Fruit Bat (from SeaWorld/Busch Gardens Animal Information Database website)

What do bats have to do with ghosts, goblins and Halloween? The answer is not much. Bats are not scary or evil. They are mammals just like you. Like all mammals, they have hair and nurse their young with milk. Most adult bats feed on insects, fruit or flowers. Some eat fish and other animals. Bats are actually quite cool. They can use sounds to "see," and they are the only mammals that fly. They also help pollinate plants and control mosquitoes and other insects.

Can you see with your ears? Through a process called echolocation, bats can. They first make a series of high-pitched noises. As these sounds strike trees, insects or other objects, they bounce back. Using their excellent hearing, bats can then determine the exact location of the object. Look at the ears of the bat. Can you see how large they are? Their big ears help them to hear sounds that people and other animals cannot.

Bats have wings and can fly, but they are not birds. In order to fly, bats have modified hands with very long fingers. The bat's third finger is longer than its head, body and legs combined. The wing is actually a web of skin connecting the arms, fingers and legs.

If you are in your front yard after dark and a "bird" flies past, chances are it might be a bat! It is likely hungry and searching for food. Not to worry, it won't hurt you. All 30 species of Texas bats eat mosquitoes and other insects. The San Antonio area has lots of bats. In fact, almost 40 million Mexican free-tailed bats live in Bracken Cave, located north of San Antonio.

Throughout the world, there are almost 1,000 different kinds of bats. On your next visit to the San Antonio Zoo, be sure to check out the short-tailed fruit bats in the Twilight Exhibit. Several hundred of them can be seen flying around looking for food or hanging from the ceiling.

C O O L F A C T S	C O O L W E B S I T E S
Bats fly up to 25 mph. 20% of all mammal species are bats. Bats are the only mammal that flies. Bats use sound to "see". The bat's third finger is as long as the head, body and legs combined.	Sea World Animal_Bytes: Fruit Bats Australian National University's Bat Atlas Bat Conservation International
R E A D A B O U T B A T S
AMAZING BATS Frank Greenaway Knopf, 1991 This selection from the Eyewitness Juniors series is filled with truly amazing close-ups of a variety of bats. Each 2-page spread contains useful and interesting information, including some great trivia! Juvenile 599.4 Greenaway BAT IN THE DINING ROOM Crescent Dragonwagon Cavendish Children’s Books, 1997 This story, told in verse, is about what happens when a confused bat flies into a hotel dining room. Almost everyone panics, except for one girl who knows the poor bat must be frightened. Juvenile Easy Dragonwagon BAT WATCHING Diane Bair Capstone Books, 2000 A “how to” guide on safely observing bats, with additional information on bat types and habits. Juvenile 599.4 Bair BATS Gail Gibbons Holiday House, 1999 An easy nonfiction selection, this book is filled with bat facts, and tells how and why bats should be protected. Juvenile 599.4 Gibbons BATS ON PARADE Kathi Appelt Morrow Junior Books, 1999 The bat parade, led by Bat Masterson, attracts crowds. When the Marching Bat Band comes into view, the multiplication practice begins with 1 drum majorette and grows to 100 sousaphones marching ten by ten. Juvenile Easy Appelt BATS: SHADOW IN THE NIGHT Diane Ackerman Crown Publishers, Inc., 1991 Filled with bat facts, photos of bats, and bat flights, including flights from Bracken Cave (near San Antonio), and from under Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin. Juvenile 599.4 Ackerman DOG-FACED BATS Pamela J. Gerholdt ABDO & Daughters, 1996 Filled with interesting facts about one species of fruit bats. Juvenile 599.4 Gerholdt MARCELO EL MURCIELAGO / MARCELO THE BAT Laura Navarro Bat Conservation International, Inc., 1997 This story appears in parallel English and Spanish texts. Marcelo lives in a cave with his parents and friends. When winter arrives, groups of bats begin leaving and Marcelo learns about migration. Juvenil Español Fácil Navarro STELLALUNA Janell Cannon Harcourt Brace & Company, 1993 Her mother’s attempt to escape an owl ends up with Stellaluna, a baby fruit bat, falling into a bird’s nest. It is not until she is accidentally separated from her bird family that Stellaluna meets her mother and learns how to be a bat. Juvenile Easy Cannon Compiled & annotated: Michelle DiGiacomo & Irene Gonzalez 9/00 Check the San Antonio Public Library's Online Catalog for availability.

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