Bat Wings

Here we will learn about bat wings, bat wings anatomy, do bats hibernate, are bats blind, and many more about bats.

The scientific name for bats is Chiroptera, which means ‘hand-wings’ in Greek. There are more than 1,300 species of bats in the world. Bats are the second most common group of mammals after rodents and the only mammals in the world that can fly.

Bat Wings Comparison

A bat has a much more flexible wing structure. Bats have four long fingers and a thumb, each connected to the next by a thin layer of skin.

All bats have a thumb, extending out of the wing as a small claw used for climbing, food handling, and fighting.

Their flexible wing structure allows them to change direction very quickly. Bats can generate sharper twists and turns than birds. This is because their feathers produce a drifting effect. As they turn, the air moving over their feathers causes a delay. However, they’re much better at taking off from the ground.

Bat wings do a lot of work besides flying. They can wrap their wings around insects or fruit to hold it while eating.

Did you know? Mexican free-tailed bats can achieve speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour, helping them catch their fast-moving insect prey.

Bat Wings Anatomy

Do Bats Hibernate?

Not all bats hibernate; some of them migrate to warmer areas while others hibernate.

Bats enter hibernation in November and emerge from hibernation in March. Bats select their hibernation place very carefully according to temperature, moisture, and location.

If the weather is poor for several consecutive days, bats go into a state of Torpor. Torpor is a deep resting state in which the bat’s heartbeat slows from 200-300 beats per minute to as few as ten beats per minute.

You can say that Torpor is a less extreme version of hibernation that saves energy.
They can hibernate in trees hollows, mining shafts, caves, or houses.

Are Bats Blind?

No, bats are not blind. Bats have small eyes with very sensitive vision, which helps them see in conditions we might consider pitch black.

” Bats are not blind and can in fact see quite well using their eyes. While most bats do have advanced ears that give them a form of vision in the dark known as echolocation, these good ears does not require them to have bad eyes. Bats use their good hearing to find food in the dark of night, and their good eyes to find food during the light of day. The vision of bats is tuned to low-light conditions such as is present during dawn and dusk. While some bats may not have as good color vision as humans, their overall vision may be better than humans during dawn and dusk.
“ – wtamu.edu