Bat: Master Of The Night Trivia Quiz

Answer: Bats have two babies per year

Most bat species produce only one baby per year. The babies are called pups. Since the mother bat has to carry her young, the weight of more than one pup would making flying too difficult.

Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight. Mammals that appear to fly, such as the flying squirrel and the sugar glider, simply glide for considerable distances. Gliding is achieved by having specialised skin which stretches out between front and hind legs when they jump from tree to tree. Gliding is passive, using only gravity to move downward at an angle. True flight, however, involves the active flapping of wings to generate thrust, allowing upward, sustained flight.

The largest species of bat is the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) with an average wingspan of 1.5-1.7 metres (4.9-5.6 feet) and weighing up to 1.4 kg (3.1 lbs). They are often referred to as megabats and are native to the Philippines.

Bats are a key factor in the pollination of many night-blooming flowers, such as agave, saguaro cactus, bananas, mangoes, figs, guavas, moonflowers and evening primrose.

Answer: 3

The legend of vampires was known in Europe for centuries before the explorers discovered vampire bats in the Americas in the 1500s. The bats got their name from the legend. These smaller bats use their front fangs to puncture the skin of a sleeping cow or horse and then they lap up the blood (they don't suck).

There are only three species of vampire bats - the common vampire bat, the hairy-legged vampire bat, and the white-winged vampire bat. These three species are native to Central and South America.

About 70% of bat species are insectivores, feeding on night-flying insects such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes, flies, and gnats. Approximately 30% of bat species are frugivores (fruit-eaters), including the largest species of bat, the giant golden-crowned flying fox or megabat of the Philippines.

Answer: echolocation

Bats use sonar or echolocation to "see in the dark" by emitting high-pitched, ultrasonic clicks (too high for humans to hear) from their mouths or noses. These sound waves bounce off objects, and the bat's large ears detect the returning echoes, allowing them to create a "mental map" of their surroundings. This enables them to locate food and fly without hitting objects.

Answer: Vampire bats lick, not suck, blood

Vampire bats obtain their blood from sleeping animals, such as cattle, horses and birds. They have thermal (heat) sensors on their nose to detect blood flowing near the skin and use their razor-sharp front fangs to puncture the skin to lick up, not suck, the blood. This usually does not wake the animal. Their saliva contains an anticoagulant called draculin which prevents clotting, allowing them to lap the blood for 20 to 30 minutes. Vampire bats consume about 20 grams (about two tablespoons or 1 ounce) of blood per meal, which represents up to 40%-60% of their body weight. They need to feed nightly, as they can only survive about two days without a blood meal.

The incorrect answers are all myths. Bats are extremely unlikely to get caught up in your hair due to their very efficient use of echolocation or sonar. They may appear to swoop if they are leaving their roosts, or if they are trying to catch insects above your head, but they will rarely collide with a human.

Bats are not blind. All bat species can see, and most have excellent night vision. They use a combination of sight for long-distance navigation and echolocation to pinpoint prey in total darkness. The phrase "blind as a bat" is totally false.

It is a complete myth that bats only fly left when leaving their roosts. Their exit depends on factors such as topography and wind direction. They will usually leave in the direction that allows for the easiest flight.

Answer: False

Although most bat species can hang upside down, there are six species of bats that cannot, including disk-winged bats (found in Central and South America) and the sucker-footed bat (found in Madagascar). Most of these bats can roost upright because they have sticky suction pads on their limbs that let them stick to leaves, tree bark or other surfaces.

Hanging upside down is the preferred method for most bats because it enables a quick drop to flight, because, without the advantage of gravity, taking flight from a standing position is difficult. Some bat species are able to hang but prefer to wedge themselves into tight crevices and tree hollows.

Answer: colony

A group of bats is called a colony. Bats usually form large colonies, especially if they are cave-dwelling species. The world's largest known bat colony is Bracken Cave in Texas, which hosts over 15 million Mexican free-tailed bats.

As a collective noun, "colony" is used for bats, as well as rabbits and many rodents. But bats are not rodents, despite similar superficial bodily features. They are a separate mammalian order.

"Pack" is used for hunting mammals such as dogs, wolves, coyotes and hyenas, and "troop" is used for monkeys and apes.

Answer: Chiroptera

Bats belong to the biological order Chiroptera. Chiroptera means "hand-wing" because bats have wings made of skin stretched over long five finger bones, resembling a hand structure.

There is no biological order named Nychterida. Nychterida is the modern Greek word for bat. However, within Chiroptera, there is a family of slit-faced bats called Nycteridae (sometimes misspelt Nychteridae). Nycteridae is derived from the Greek word "nykteros", meaning nocturnal or "of the night".

Rodentia (meaning "to gnaw") is the order for rodents, including animals such as rats, mice, rabbits, beavers and squirrels.

Diprotodontia (meaning "two front teeth") is the order which includes kangaroos, koalas, and wombats.

Answer: True

Guano is the accumulated, dried excrement (droppings) of bats, seabirds and seals. It is high in nitrogen, phosphate and potassium nitrate. Potassium nitrate (saltpeter) can be extracted for use in gunpowder, explosives and fireworks. Historically, guano was the primary source of potassium nitrate for gunpowder during the American Civil War. However, it is rarely used today, having been replaced by synthetic substances. Its primary use nowadays is for the manufacture of fertilizer.

Bat guano, sometimes referred to as "chiropterite", is primarily collected from caves in tropical and subtropical regions - in Africa, Latin America, Thailand, and the Caribbean.

Answer: white-nose syndrome

Although habitat loss and climate change are adversely affecting bat populations, the single biggest threat is white-nose syndrome (WNS), a fungal disease which grows on the muzzles and wings of bats while they hibernate in caves and mines. The disease has decimated populations in the U.S. and Canada and is considered one of the worst wildlife disease outbreaks in North American history. This impacts on agriculture because bats act as a form of free insect pest control for farmers and as pollinators.

While it is true that some bats can carry the rabies virus, almost any mammal can be a carrier. It is estimated that less than 1% of bats are carriers of the rabies and related viruses.

Answer: True

Bats are very clean animals. They spend a significant amount of time grooming themselves and each other. Just like cats, they use their long tongues to lick their fur and their sharp claws to comb it. Grooming helps them stay healthy by removing unwanted parasites, as well as keeping their fur soft and their wings clean and flexible, which is essential for aerodynamic flight.