All About Bats - Bat Conservation Trust
Bat Conservation Trust
All About Bats
What Are Bats?
Bats are mammals. Like other mammals, including ourselves and many of our pets, they have hair or fur on their bodies and are warm-blooded. A baby bat feeds on its mother's milk for at least a few weeks after it is born. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. A bat's wing has very similar bones to the hand and arm of a human, with skin stretched between the very long finger bones and the body to form the wing membrane.
Bats are amazing, and there is so much to learn about them! Click on a question below to find out more...
How can I help bats?  
What types of bats do we have in the UK?
In the UK, we are lucky enough to have 17 different types of bats. They range from the tiny pipistrelle bat which is just a few centremetres long, to the larger noctule bat, which is still smaller than an adult's hand!  Learn more and listen to their calls!
How big are bats?
The body of the smallest bat found in the UK, the pipistrelle, measures only about 4cm long and weighs around 5 grams - that's less than a £1 coin! In comparison the UK's largest bat, the noctule, is almost twice the size and weighs up to 40 grams.
Even the noctule is tiny though compared to the world's largest bat, the Kalong (also known as the Javanese flying fox). It lives in south east Asia and feeds on fruit. With a wing span of almost 2 metres, it's the biggest bat in the world!
What do bats eat?
All bats native to the UK eat insects. Each species has its favourite insects, hunting them in its own special way. Most are caught and eaten in mid-air, though it is sometimes easier to hang up to eat larger prey.
All bats have very big appetites because flying uses up lots of energy. The tiny pipistrelle can eat over 3000 insects in a night!  In winter, when there are fewer insects around for them to feed on, bats go into a deep sleep called hibernation to save energy.  Find out more about what bats are doing at different times of the year.
One of the reasons bats are in danger in the UK is because there are less insects around for them to feed on. Find out what you can do to help !
Some bats in other parts of the world eat fruit, flowers, fish, frogs, blood and even other bats!
Where do bats live?
Where bats live is called their 'roost.' They roost in different places at different times of the year. Some places bats like to roost are:
Trees