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bat
Table of Contents
References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics
Images & Videos
Livingstone's fruit bat
Why being “blind as a bat” is a myth
Mexican free-tailed bat
Bats: Roosting, hunting, and echolocation
leaf-nosed bat white-nose syndrome long-eared bat Insect predation epauletted fruit bat
The video thumbnail shows a small squirrel peeking out of a snowy bank, with a blue circle surrounding it.
For Students
leaf-nosed bat
bat summary
Quizzes
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Read Next
Bats. Megabat. Grey-headed flying fox. Pteropus poliocephalus. A pair of grey-headed flying foxes hanging from the ceiling of a cave in South Australia.
5 Surprising Facts About Bats
Flying bat
Are Bats Rodents?
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
cat. orange and white persian cat with long hair, snarl, growl, teeth
7 Questions About Mammals Answered
bat flying
Are Bats Really Blind?
Discover
Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"
How Deadly Is Quicksand?
Secret Service Agent Listens To Earpiece
Secret Service Code Names of 11 U.S. Presidents
Berries and leaves of the bittersweet nightshade (Solanum dulcamara) plant. Poisonous plant
7 of the World’s Deadliest Plants
Close up of praying mantis walking on stone ground against a blurred background in Japan
6 Animals That Eat Their Mates
Portrait of a mountain gorilla at a short distance. gorilla close up portrait.The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)
Falling Stars: 10 of the Most Famous Endangered Species
The United States Supreme Court building, Washington, D.C.
14 Questions About Government in the United States Answered
Close up of books. Stack of books, pile of books, literature, reading. Homepage 2010, arts and entertainment, history and society
12 Novels Considered the “Greatest Book Ever Written”

bat: Facts & Related Content

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News •

Hunt like a bat! How baby bats learn to eavesdrop on their next meal : Short Wave • May 14, 2025, 1:13 AM ET (NPR)
Genetic Study Retraces the Origins of Coronaviruses in Bats • May 8, 2025, 11:03 PM ET (New York Times)

Facts

Also Known As Chiroptera

Photos and Videos

Livingstone's fruit bat
Mexican free-tailed bat
leaf-nosed bat
white-nose syndrome
long-eared bat
Insect predation
epauletted fruit bat
bat; microchiropteran
Indiana brown bats (Myotis sodalis) hibernating on a cave ceiling.
Why being “blind as a bat” is a myth
Bats: Roosting, hunting, and echolocation
The video thumbnail shows a small squirrel peeking out of a snowy bank, with a blue circle surrounding it.
Learn if we should be afraid of bats with a bat expert
See All Videos, Images and Audio →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Giraffe standing in grass, Kenya.
Know Your Mammals Quiz
vulture. An adult bearded vulture at a raptor recovery center. The Gypaetus barbatus also known as the Lammergeier or Lammergeyer, is a bird of prey and considered an Old World vulture.
Animal Factoids
Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)
Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz
Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)
Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz
Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters
Animal Group Names
Nine-Banded Armadillo.
A Is for Animal Quiz
Lion (panthera leo)
Deadliest Animals Quiz
Humpback whale breaching out of the ocean. (sea mammal; ocean mammal)
A Quiz from Shrews to Whales
Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius). Animals, mammals.
Ultimate Animals Quiz
List
cat. orange and white persian cat with long hair, snarl, growl, teeth
7 Questions About Mammals Answered
Bats. Megabat. Grey-headed flying fox. Pteropus poliocephalus. A pair of grey-headed flying foxes hanging from the ceiling of a cave in South Australia.
5 Surprising Facts About Bats
animal. Amphibian. Frog. Anura. Ranidae. Frog in grass.
Abundant Animals: The Most Numerous Organisms in the World
Demystified
Flying bat
Are Bats Rodents?
bat flying
Are Bats Really Blind?