There are a lot of different kinds of bats -- from the tiny bumblebee bat (which is the size of a jellybean and
weighs less than a penny) to the huge Bismarck flying fox (with a
wingspan as long as an average man).
In fact, there are over 900 different
species of bats -- they make up one fifth of the world's mammals.
They are the second largest group of mammals (rodents are the
largest). Bats live all over the world, from the United States to
Australia except for in the coldest parts.
Bats are grouped into two main groups --
the large fruit eating bats (also known as "flying foxes" or
"megabats") and the smaller bats ("microbats") who
eat insects, blood, fish, lizards, birds and nectar.
Megabats and microbats are quite
different from one another. Microbats live worldwide, except for
Antarctica and most of the arctic region. Most of the world's bats
are microbats.
Megabats include nearly 200
species and live in tropical regions. They look a lot more like land
mammals we're familiar with -- which is why they're called "flying
foxes". Most megabats are unable to echolocate, although there
are a few (like the Egyptian Rousette) that can.
