How do bats eat?
Some people think that all bats eat blood, but that's silly.The
regular bats’ diet consists of insects, nectar, pollen, fruit, frogs, fish and
rodents.
Insects-most
of the insect eating (insectivorous) bats hunt their prey by chasing it while
flying, although some prefer to slaughter on the ground. Bats detect the
insects using echolocation. Some ground insectivorous bats such as the Pallid
Bat, from the USA like to eat scorpions and big centipedes. The Pallid Bats
seem to be immune to the stings and bites of these fearsome insects, however
their wings are always covered in scars.
Nectar-the Australian Southern Blossom Bat, the smallest fruit bat(only 3 inches!) comes to flowers at night to drink nectar. The plants that bats come to, only release their nectar at night along with a strong scent for them to home in on. Nectar feeding bats have very long tongues to enable them to get something to eat from nectarines deep inside flowers.
Pollen-pollen eating bats are very important for pollinating many of the exotic fruits we eat. Mangos and bananas are an example of two of the more well known fruits. Pollen bats have tongues that are adapted to feeding on pollen by having 'brushes' to collect the grains.
Frogs-frog eating bats hand from branches that overlook ponds and listen for frogs croaking before attacking them. These smart bats can even distinguish edible frogs from poisonous ones.
Fish-fisherman bats fly low over rivers and ponds looking for ripples on the surface that indicate something is just below the surface. As they get close to the food they drop their feet into the water and scramble for the fish. Fisherman Bats have adapted to this method of feeding by having very big feet, long toes and sharp toe nails.
Mammals-mammals like mice and small rats are the favorite food for some bats. These bats have evolved to be very agile on the ground and can run after their prey.
And, believe it or not, some bats even eat other bats as they fly around!
Nectar-the Australian Southern Blossom Bat, the smallest fruit bat(only 3 inches!) comes to flowers at night to drink nectar. The plants that bats come to, only release their nectar at night along with a strong scent for them to home in on. Nectar feeding bats have very long tongues to enable them to get something to eat from nectarines deep inside flowers.
Pollen-pollen eating bats are very important for pollinating many of the exotic fruits we eat. Mangos and bananas are an example of two of the more well known fruits. Pollen bats have tongues that are adapted to feeding on pollen by having 'brushes' to collect the grains.
Frogs-frog eating bats hand from branches that overlook ponds and listen for frogs croaking before attacking them. These smart bats can even distinguish edible frogs from poisonous ones.
Fish-fisherman bats fly low over rivers and ponds looking for ripples on the surface that indicate something is just below the surface. As they get close to the food they drop their feet into the water and scramble for the fish. Fisherman Bats have adapted to this method of feeding by having very big feet, long toes and sharp toe nails.
Mammals-mammals like mice and small rats are the favorite food for some bats. These bats have evolved to be very agile on the ground and can run after their prey.
And, believe it or not, some bats even eat other bats as they fly around!