What are Bats?
Hang on. Before we start researching bats, we need to know what are bats?? Bats are the only group of mammals that can fly. Yes, some can glide, like the so-called flying squirrels and opossums but only bats can truly soar independently. Bats are used in myths and legends all over the world but some myths picture the poor bats as evil causing people to be afraid of this innocent creature. Oh, and bats are not actually rodents, no matter what some people say. They have their own biological order: Chiroptera. This is separate from the rodent's order( Rodentia). The bat is a nocturnal animal, so it prefers to roost in a sheltered area during the day. And, to clear up another myth, most bats do not carry rabies. However, the bats that do have rabies tend to be more clumsy then the ones who don't carry the disease therefore more likely to make contact with humans. Like most mammals, bats don't lay eggs. Instead, they give birth to live young. What the adults do to the babies depends on the species of bat. Some bats will leave the children at the roost, some will be towed along with their parents. But not to worry, the young bats become independent within two weeks of age and healthy bat populations can live to about twenty years old! That's pretty good, for a bat.
More about Bats
Bats are vital for the seeding of rainforests, too. They are also used to keep down the population of insects and most of them are a protected native Aussie species and they’ve lived in Australia for thousands of years. They have a pretty big population themselves, but they are no threat to us humans, provided that we leave them alone!
Bat poo is actually a very good (and very smelly) fertilizer! Amazing, isn’t it? Of course, we call it guano to be polite because bat poo sounds disgusting and it is not a subject to bring up at the dinner table!!! In fact, guano is so strong, the people who collect it have to wear gas masks! But it’s worth it, so farmers say. But you have to hold your nose!
Bat poo is actually a very good (and very smelly) fertilizer! Amazing, isn’t it? Of course, we call it guano to be polite because bat poo sounds disgusting and it is not a subject to bring up at the dinner table!!! In fact, guano is so strong, the people who collect it have to wear gas masks! But it’s worth it, so farmers say. But you have to hold your nose!