Random Reasons Why Bats Are Actually Totally Badass (17 items)

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  (#4) They Make Up One Fifth Of All Mammals

  Bats are incredibly prolific. There are over 1,200 different species of bats living on every continent except for Antarctica, and certain areas have a higher bat population than human population. Bat species make up one fifth of all known mammal species, and that number could only go up as new bats are discovered.

  However, out of those over 1,200 species of bats, 26 are considered critically endangered, 51 are endangered, and 954 are considered vulnerable. Humans continue to encroach on bats' habitats, and their slow reproductive cycles mean they can't make up that population depletion.
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  (#14) They Can Get Around In Total Darkness

  It's a common misconception that bats are blind or have poor sight. In truth, bats have excellent vision, but it's not their most useful sense. Instead, bats rely on echolocation, which ensures they can move around even when they can't see anything at all.

  To use this unique ability, the bat sends out a signal in the form of a sound wave from either its mouth or nose. The echo then bounces off objects and comes back to the bat's ears. Now that the bat can "see" obstacles, it can navigate accordingly. Using echolocation, the bat can detect objects as small as a single hair.
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  (#2) Their Wings Are Huge Fingertips

  You might think that bats and birds have similar anatomy, since they both fly, but their wings are very different. Bats have something like a hand inside their wings, including a thumb they can use for clinging and holding.

  But the main difference between bat and bird wings has to do with sensitivity. The skin that covers bats' wings features touch censors, much like those found on a human fingertip. Bats' wings, however, are also covered with tiny hairs that can sense changes in airflow and air pressure. Their wings' composition allows bats to dive, bank, and rise more easily. 
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  (#17) They'll Probably Outlive Your Pet

  Most small mammals have fairly short lifespans of a few years, or maybe a decade if they're lucky. Bats, however, live for an average of twenty years, and some species live even longer. The little brown bat, for instance, has the longest lifespan among bats - thirty years or more.
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  (#8) They Cuddle While Sleeping

  It can get pretty cold in caves at night, and bats don't sleep in nests. They simply hang upside-down, near the rock. To ward off the chill, some bats have developed a technique for keeping each other warm: cuddling. Little brown bats refuse to sleep alone, and will sometimes cuddle up in a massive heap as they drift off.
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  (#6) They Have Control Over Their Reproductive Systems

  Female bats have a surprising amount of control over their reproductive organs. Most bats are only able to have up to one baby per year. Female bats will sometimes delay their pregnancy during hibernation, saving the dormant sperm inside their bodies until they are ready to gestate. 

  Once a number of female bats are pregnant, they form a maternity colony. The bats have their young all at once, and take care of them together. It's because of this ability to delay or refuse pregnancy that bats are one of the world's slowest reproducing mammals.

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