Since bats are flying creatures, many people assume that bats are classified as birds.
Bats are classified as mammals and give birth to a live creature, not eggs, once a year.
During their birthing season, also called maternity season, bats often gather into colonies called “maternity roosts”.
The birthing season takes place between late May until about mid-August.
Maternity roosts are groups of female bats who come together to take turns raising their young.
Most bats’ pregnancies last up to 9 weeks.
However, other species have a longer pregnancy, like vampire bats for instance, whose pregnancy can last up to 5 – 7 months.
Did you know that bats give birth while hanging upside down?
The mom-to-be takes her talons and grabs onto whatever perch she’s hanging from.
Then, while hanging upside down, she pushes her baby out of her womb towards her feet.
After giving birth and while she is still hanging, mama bat catches her newborn in her wings to avoid letting the baby bat fall to the ground.
Baby bats are called pups.
Pups cannot partially fly until about 3 or 4 weeks after birth, so the mom has to be really quick catching her baby.
For the period during which pups cannot fly, the mom carries them in their wings.
But, what happens if a pup is too heavy to carry?
In that case, when mama bat has to scour for food, she leaves her pup on a nearby branch, she keeps a close distance, and cries out to her baby to let them know that she is not far.
Bats can find their food in total darkness and can eat up to 1,200 mosquitoes an hour.
Bat droppings, called guano, are one of the richest fertilizers.
Bats can live more than 30 years.
They are very nourishing and protective of their young and often will continue to coddle and nurture them as they form tight bonds as a family.
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