![]() Mating also occurs during this time, but the female stores the male's sperm in her body and fertilizes her egg in the spring ("delayed fertilization"). Bats fly and hunt together in September and October, storing food as body fat, which their bodies will use during the cold months ahead. In August, bats move out of their summer roosting sites and either fly back to their hibernacula, or migrate south. Bats are long-lived animals, with a lifespan around 20 years in the wild. Like all baby wild animals, not many make it to adulthood. The young are able to fly in about a month, but still depend on the safety of the roost as they learn to forage on their own. They have very low reproductive rates, with females usually producing only one, but sometimes two pups per year. Males roost separately or in small groups in different roosts. Five of our species hibernate to survive, and three migrate south to warmer areas for the winter.įemale bats often have their babies grouped together in a maternity colony. ![]() In the winter they must deal with deep cold and no insects for food. In the summer they need foraging and roosting (resting) habitat. Once the bat has pinpointed her prey in this way, she swoops in the direction of the signal that bounced back and catches the insect in her mouth, sometimes using her wings and tail membrane to help.īats use a variety of habitats throughout the year. As a bat flies, it sends out signals that bounce off of their prey and come back to the bat's sensitive hearing. This is the combined weight of over 1,500 mosquitoes! A recent analysis of the value of pest control services provided by bats was at least $3.7 billion a year.īats use echolocation to navigate and to locate prey. Bats can eat 50% of their own body weight each evening, and even more if they are females with pups. They are generally nocturnal, sleeping during the day in sheltered areas called roosts and flying at dusk to forage for insects.īats eat insects, millions of them! These include a large number of agricultural and forest pests, as well as pesky mosquitoes. New Hampshire Commercial Saltwater Fishingīats are the only mammals that engage in truly active flight (other mammals, such as "flying" squirrels, can only glide from tree to tree).Marine Fisheries Research, Surveys, and Reports.
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