With the onset of cold weather Part bats migrates to southern regions , flying hundreds of kilometers in search of outgoing heat.
However, many species - bats, bats, noctules - stay for the winter in the same places where they hunted in the summer. These bats hibernate in winter.
They are looking for the right one shelter, get stuck in cracks or are securely attached with their paws to walls or ceilings, hanging upside down, and fall into a long hibernation with a total duration of 6-8 months.
Some animals can sleep absolutely motionless for up to 5.5 months in a row, without leaving a state of deep anabiosis.
REFERENCE: At the same time, their heart rate drops from 420 to 15-16 beats per minute, and the number of breaths is reduced from 96 to 5-6 within a minute. Body temperature drops from 37-40 to almost zero degrees.
A long period of minimal vital activity increases the lifespan of bats to 15-20 years, and some specimens live to a record 30 years.
If during wintering the temperature in the shelter decreases significantly, or sleeping animals are disturbed, they may come out of hibernation and migrate to a safer haven.
ATTENTION: Forced awakenings due to flights take a lot of energy, and animals that fall into suspended animation again may not survive until spring.
Optimal wintering sites
So, where do bats hibernate, do bats hibernate in winter, and where do they sleep?
To successfully overwinter, bats need reliable draft-free shelter with a temperature from 7-8 degrees to zero (but not lower) and humidity from 80 to 100%.
In conditions middle zone such a winter environment is created in dungeons, caves and basements, mines and adits, in log houses of deep wells, in attics, in the hollows of old trees.
Animals often move to wintering shelters in colonies numbering up to several hundred individuals. Large communities of bats hibernate in empty abandoned pillboxes from the war, in the forts of the Brest Fortress.
Finding a suitable place is not easy, so winged mammals perfectly remember not only the attic, cave or basement itself, but also the specific area where they are located in it. From year to year, bats return exactly to the same place where they have already managed to safely spend the winter.
Photo
Look at the photo: how bats hibernate
Bat in the city
Due to human intrusion into natural environment habitat of bats, the animals are mastering the area of city buildings and structures that was previously unusual for them.
Where do bats hibernate in the city? They settle into winter quarters in cracks and seams of multi-story buildings, climb into attics, huddle under the lining of balconies, between window frames and in the cracks of air conditioners, and are located in insulated basements and vegetable stores.
The close presence of humans poses considerable danger to bats. If they are disturbed in winter, they freeze while trying to find new shelter, or become easy prey for cats and dogs.
A bat found in the city in winter, first of all, provide drinking water. Then you can send the animal to hibernate again in a box or bag, finding a suitable place in the refrigerator.
Some fanciers leave the animal awake at home, providing it with the abundant nutrition it needs. feeding with live insects like mealworms.
In the spring, however, temporary captives are necessarily released.
The settlement of bats for the winter in a certain building can be considered a kind of sign of “ecological quality”, since these animals are sensitive to the naturalness of their habitat and don't settle in places, polluted harmful chemicals.
However, the proximity to large colonies of wintering animals in the city causes certain inconveniences.
In such cases, in the fall, when bats migrate to undesirable places in winter city shelters, special ultrasonic repellers.
For farms and gardens, where overly large wintering colonies do not form, bats are welcome and useful neighbors in winter and summer.
Tireless night catchers of harmful insects - winged mammals - in most regions of the central zone they are considered rare and endangered species. They are sensitive to pollution environment, have difficulty maintaining their numbers and, at the same time, have a unique ability to survive the winter cold.
Bats should not be disturbed in wintering areas, since coming out of hibernation takes a lot of energy from them and the animals do not survive until the new spring hunting season.
Useful video
Watch the video for interesting facts about them:
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Bats are small, furry animals that expertly dart through the sky as dusk sets in.
Almost all species of bats are nocturnal, resting during the day, hanging upside down, or huddled in some kind of hole.
The bats belong to the order Chiroptera, and make up its main part. It is worth noting that bats live on all continents of our planet, except Antarctica.
It is not realistic to see a mouse in flight; their flapping flight is very different from the flight of birds and insects, surpassing them in maneuverability and aerodynamics.
The average speed of bats in flight is from 20-50 km/h. Their wings have brushes with long fingers connected by a thin but strong leathery membrane. This membrane stretches 4 times without rupture or damage. During flight, the mouse performs symmetrical flapping of its wings, pressing them tightly towards itself, much more tightly than other flying animals, thus improving the aerodynamics of its flight.
The flexibility of the wing allows the Bat to instantly turn 180 degrees, practically without making a turn. Bats are also capable of hover in the air like insects, making rapid flapping of their wings.
Echolocation of Bats
For orientation Bats use echolocation, and not by sight. During flight, they send ultrasonic pulses, which are reflected from various items, including living ones (insects, birds), are caught by the auricles.
The intensity of ultrasonic signals sent by a mouse is very high, and in many species reaches up to 110-120 decibels (a passing train, a jackhammer). However, the human ear cannot hear them.
Echolocation helps the mouse not only navigate in flight, maneuvering in a dense forest, but also control the flight altitude, hunt, pursue prey, and look for a place to sleep during the day.
The bats often sleep in groups, despite small size, they have high level socialization.
Songs of the Bats
Among mammals (other than humans), bats are the only ones that use very complex vocal sequences to communicate. This sounds like bird songs, but much more complicated.
Mice sing songs during the courtship of a male with a female, to protect his territory, to recognize each other and indicate his status, when raising cubs. Songs are published in the ultrasonic range; a person can only hear what is “sung” at low frequencies.
In winter, some bats migrate to warmer regions, while others spend the winter by hibernating.
Conservation status of the Bat
All European bat species are protected by many international conventions, including the Berne Convention (conservation of European animals) and the Bonn Convention (conservation of migratory animals). In addition, all of them are listed in the IUCN International Red Book. Some species are considered endangered, and some are considered vulnerable, requiring constant monitoring. Russia has signed all international agreements on the protection of these animals. All species of bats are also protected by domestic legislation. Some of them are included in the Red Book. According to the law, not only the bats themselves, but also their habitats, primarily shelters, are subject to protection. That is why neither the sanitary inspection nor the veterinary authorities simply have the right to take any measures regarding the found settlements of chiropterans in the city, and also, by law, a person does not have the right to destroy the habitats of mouse colonies and the mice themselves.
Interesting Facts about Bats
1. Exists international night bats. This holiday is celebrated on September 21 in order to draw attention to the problems of the survival of these animals. In Russia, this environmental holiday has been celebrated since 2003.
2. In one hour, a bat can eat up to 600 mosquitoes, which, based on the weight of a person, would be equal to about 20 pizzas.
3. Bats are not obese.
4. Bats sing songs at high frequencies.
Bats belong to the order Chiroptera. It means that both forelimbs transformed into large wings, and the highly elongated fingers serve as a frame for them.
This structure does not allow them to soar like birds, forcing them to constantly flap their wings.
The flight speed of bats can vary from 15 km/h during simple movement, up to 60 km/h while catching insects.
Another one distinctive feature these animals - landing method. In a short period of time, bats need to slow down and sit head down on a horizontal surface. They don't create nests.
REFERENCE! They feed on the fly, catching various insects right in the air. Typically, one animal can catch up to 200 mosquitoes in an hour.
Photo
You can take a closer look at the bats in the photo with the names of the species.
White bat in the photo:
Bulldog Bat: 
Bat dog fruit: 
Smooth-nosed bat:
Night bat: 
Horseshoe bat: 
Pig-nosed bat in the photo: 
Long-eared bat: 
Vampire bat in the photo: 
Evening bat: 
Varieties
White
Tailless or Honduran white bat - one of the little representatives families. In addition to Honduras, he also lives in Central America - Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.
Body - up to 4.5 cm long, small ears, unusually shaped nose. Through it, animals produce echolocation - this structure makes it possible to focus and amplify the signals sent.
They live under large sheets heliconia, gnawing holes in them so that the ends, hanging down, form a tent. They eat fruits.
Usually a family of 5-6 bats lives under one leaf, but sometimes several families unite into a large clan. Females give birth one cub per year.
Pig Nose
Hog-nosed bat or bumblebee mouse was discovered in 1973. The bat received its second name due to its size - body no more than 3.3 cm, and weight - up to 2 grams. This is the smallest bat.
In addition, on the muzzle there is a characteristic a nose that resembles a pig's snout. The ears are large, but, unlike other animals of the family, the pig-nosed mouse does not have a tail.
Basic habitat - Thailand and some neighboring lands. Lives in limestone caves and flies out to hunt in groups of 4-5 animals.
Do not move more than 1 km from the place of residence. Looking for insects in bamboo thickets or teak wood. There is no exact data on reproduction; most likely the female gives birth to one cub per year.
Vechernitsa
Evening bats are one of the large genera of bats, which includes 8 species and 13 subspecies. They live in Europe and North Africa, where are the largest bats of their own kind.
Body length - from 10 to 50 cm. It lives mainly in deciduous forests; it does not settle in treeless areas.
Hunts at dusk and dawn, preferring beetles and butterflies. The largest noctules are gigantic, may eat small songbirds.
REFERENCE! They are the fastest flyers - they can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h, rising to a height of up to 100 meters.
They are sensitive to frost, therefore, with the onset of cold weather, they migrate over distances of up to 1000 km. Females give birth to one or two, rarely three cubs.
Flying dog and fox
Flying dogs or flying foxes, the fruit bat is the common name for a whole species of animal, the fruit bat.
In fact, they are not bats, which are insectivorous, but are closer in structure and development to herbivorous primates.
The main differences from each other are - food consumed, wing structure, the use of echolocation in mice and vision in fruit bats.
These animals not found in Russia, their main place of residence is Asian rainforests Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Laos and other countries.
They received the nickname "flying dogs" because characteristic elongated muzzle. Adult fruit bats are large in size - body up to 42 cm, wings up to 1.7 meters. Weight up to 900 grams.
They live in large colonies, settling in trees. Eat tropical fruits, especially love bananas, papaya, coconuts, grapes and others.
Due to their gastronomic preferences, fruit bats are called “fruit mice.” The fruits are not eaten, but only suck the juice and pulp out of them.
IMPORTANT! A flock of fruit bats can cause significant harm farming, “eating” fruits on all the trees in the garden.
Animals sleep upside down. You can often observe a picture when on cold nights one wing is used as a blanket, wrapping the entire body, and on hot nights - instead of a fan.
The female gives birth to one cub per year.
Smooth-nosed
Smooth-nosed bats are a large family with more than 318 species.
They got their name due to the fact that they do not have any characteristic distinctive features, the muzzle is smooth without cartilaginous outgrowths.
The smooth-nosed family includes bats, bats, noctules, long-eared bats and many others.
Live all over the world where there is woody vegetation. There are 37 species of such mice found in Russia.
They are active at dusk or at night, when hunt for various insects. Certain types of bats eat fish.
During the cold period, hibernation occurs, but some (such as noctules) fly away to more warm places. Females give birth once per season, 1-2, less often 3-4 individuals.
Ushan
Long-eared bats are a type of bat that has ears big size , used for echolocation. In sleeping animals they hide under folded wings.
Thanks to its short but wide wings, this animal can flutter and even hover briefly in the air to hunt insects. Body length - 5-6 cm.
Distributed throughout the continent from the Atlantic to Pacific Ocean, in northern Asia, North Africa.
They feed on mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and other similar things. insects. The female gives birth to one, less often two, cubs during the year.
Nocturnal
Noctules or short-eared bats are a species of smooth-nosed bat.
REFERENCE! The main difference from all similar animals is that they fly out to hunt very late, after complete darkness. At the same time, the flight itself is slow and calm.
Body length - 3.5-8.5 cm. Distributed Worldwide, except for the Arctic zones.
In general, they are the only species that has adapted to life in absolutely any natural conditions, even fatal to other bats. There are about 19 species in Russia.
They feed on nocturnal insects. The female brings one, or less often two, cubs during the year.
Horseshoe bats
Horseshoe bats are a species of bat that was so named because cartilaginous growth around the nose, looking like a horseshoe.
This structure is necessary for echolocation, the signals of which are emitted through the nostrils. Distributed in the eastern hemisphere, in Russia they live only in the Caucasus.
They eat insects, which are hunted on the fly. They may freeze in place for a short time.
They fly out to hunt about half an hour after sunset, and show activity first half of the night. Females give birth to only one cub during the year.
Bulldogs
Bulldog bats are a family that is different from all other bats more developed wings- they are narrow, long and pointed.
Because of this, the flapping frequency is slightly higher than that of other mice. Average body length - 4-14.5 cm. Live in tropical areas both hemispheres.
They can form groups of several tens to millions of individuals. The flight is rapid, the echoes are very high intensity.
Some species can produce 3 litters per year, consisting of one young each time.
Vampire
IMPORTANT! They are dangerous for people and domestic animals, since during a bite they can transmit rabies and various infectious diseases.
They only eat fresh blood other animals or birds, may occasionally attack and on sleeping people.
Echolocation is poorly developed; when hunting, they rely more on excellent hearing and infrared receptors. With the help of the latter, the least protected area of the skin is determined.
They live in Central and South America.
Conclusion
The world of bats is very diverse. Here you can find both animals of very tiny sizes and individuals with wings over 1.5 meters.
Most bats eat insects, which benefits people and agriculture.
However, there are species that can eat fruit, or even attack sleeping animals and birds for the purpose of extracting blood.
Video
A short film about the species of bats and their life characteristics:
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Probably every person has encountered bats at least once in his life. They can be seen in any city or village, all you have to do is go outside late in the evening or at night. When we observe these mysterious individuals, the question naturally arises: “Is a bat a bird or an animal?” Let's try to figure this out together.
Animal or bird?
A bat is an animal that belongs to the bat family. These are the only mammals that have mastered flight. The most interesting thing is that the name of the species does not correspond to reality, because these animals have nothing to do with rodents. It would be logical to call them flying monkeys, since they are similar to primates. People very often argue: “What specific species is this bird or animal? Which of these statements is true? However, it is unlikely that a person versed in zoology will be able to classify it as a bird just because it has wings. First you need to know the complete lifestyle of the bat. Only after this, by providing arguments, can one be convinced of belonging to one or another genus.
Nutrition
Almost all species of bats feed on insects. Because of this, constant questions arise about what species the bat is: is it a bird or an animal. Each individual has its own taste preferences: some prefer butterflies or midges, others prefer spiders or beetles, and others prefer larvae.
Bats often grab their food during the flight, when the potential victim is soaring in the air. As a rule, they also eat on the fly, although there are also those bats that prefer to settle down in a more convenient place after hunting. Their methods of obtaining food are quite interesting and deserve attention. For example, some bats use certain movements of their wings, reminiscent of the work of blades, to scoop up insects towards them, while others use their tail membrane as a net with which they catch prey.
Varieties of bats
Like all animals, bats are divided into species. Bats on this moment there are quite a lot. To date, more than 1,200 varieties have been discovered. It is unlikely that anyone will want to dispute the fact that the only flying mammals are the most common on the planet. According to statistics, every fifth animal is a bat. They all seem very similar, but they are not. Each type is different and has no analogues. Of the total number of mice, only fifty species live in temperate latitudes. That is why many do not even suspect that giant individuals exist! For example, the wingspan of bats living in the tropics is more than 170 centimeters. The species of bats are so diverse that research is still being carried out.
Wings
Chiropteran wings are formed due to thin skin that stretches between the body and fingers. They are designed in such a way that they are capable of emitting ultrasound, which helps bats navigate in space. With this, the animal can easily detect prey or sense an obstacle in its path. People have long believed that they love to sit on women's heads and drink blood. Actually this is not true. The hair of the weaker sex has a peculiar structure, so the wings of a bat, releasing ultrasound, do not receive any feedback, so the animal believes that there is empty space in front of it.
additional information
Bats have very poor vision (black and white) and sense of smell. Their characteristic feature is perfect pitch. In order to navigate well in the dark, they make a sound and, by its echo, understand whether there is an obstacle in their path and how far away it is. Thanks to this, they do not need good vision.
The basic habits of almost all types of bats are similar. All of them are only nocturnal, avoid bright places and do not build nests. During the day, bats sleep hanging upside down. Most of these mammals are able to hibernate for very long periods due to their ability to slow down body processes. Surprisingly, these animals can change the intensity of the respiratory rate, affect cardiac work, reduce the speed
Chiropterans fly well, their flight is quite fast and maneuverable, so the question of whether a bat is a bird or an animal is controversial and is often the reason for lengthy discussions.
The science that studies bats is called chiropterology. In just a few years, scientists were able to discover dozens of new species of these creatures. It has now been proven that the most widespread and numerous animal throughout the world is the bat. But, unfortunately, at the moment they have not yet been fully studied. Their habitat covers almost the entire globe, except for islands in the ocean and polar regions. They are frequent guests in forests and deserts, plains and mountains, and also live both in a populous city and in places where no human has gone before.
Bats are usually not the first to attack and are not as dangerous to humans as is commonly believed. But such a creature is capable of biting if it senses danger and decides to defend itself. What are the consequences of a bat bite for a person, and what are its consequences? Which ones exist? dangerous species animals that sometimes attack people, where they live, what types of diseases they carry, and what should someone who has been bitten by a bat do? Read about all this in the article.
Due to their physiological characteristics, bats are classified by experts as members of the order Chiroptera.
Their family in total numbers about 700 various types. They are the only mammals capable of flight. Most animals eat insects; some prefer other treats, such as nectar, nuts, and fruits. There are few species that rely on fish as food. In the territory South America There are 3 species that feed on the blood of vertebrates.
Do not panic, such species do not inhabit the territory of our country.
During the day, all types of bats prefer to remain in their homes, becoming active at dusk and at night. These creatures use echolocation in order to freely navigate in space. Its principle is simple: the animal emits sounds that the human ear cannot hear. Then his sense organs pick up an echo, which tends to be reflected from things and objects encountered along the way. 
What does a bat look like, regardless of species? Wings occupy most of the body of this animal. It also has a small body with an elongated head and a short neck. Some species have a cute face, others can scare people unusual shape nose, huge ears and growths located on the head. The cutest member of the family is considered to be the fruit dog. She has large and wide eyes, an elongated nose. Some species of mice got their names precisely from the shape of their nose - smooth-nosed, pig-nosed, horseshoe-nosed. The white bat has a “horn” on its face that gives its nose a petal shape. The bulldog mouse has a cartilaginous fold located transversely on its muzzle. The long-eared bat has excellent echolocation, thanks to the presence of huge ears.
Video “Interesting facts about mammals”
From the video you will learn a lot of new things about bats.
Dangerous body features
The body of mice is usually covered with thick and coarse hair; on the muzzle there are growths specially designed to improve echolocation. In some species, the size of the ears is equal to half the total length of the body including the tail. These ears are considered the largest among all mammals when compared with body size. Modified front limbs allow animals to fly. Between the second and fifth fingers they have a characteristic leather membrane. 
Some species have received from nature a membrane located at the back and connecting the hind limbs and tail. Tenacious and strong claws allow the flying animal to stay on even the smallest convexities of any surface. The animal has small but very sharp teeth. If a bat bites a person, he may not even feel it. Blood-sucking species are capable of biting their prey even in their sleep.
Where can I meet
Most often, such animals are found in forests and caves. They began to settle in cities as a result of deforestation and human development of caves, which is dangerous for bats forced to look for new habitats. Many of these animals fly at dusk near forest plantations. Their flight from afar is similar to the flight of a swallow or swift. If you look into the night sky, you can see a mouse flying back and forth. Can such a creature get into the apartment? Yes, but only by accident, if he confuses a window or door with his own home. If you were bitten by a bat, it was scared.
If you find an animal in your home, you should not take it with bare hands. You should wear thick gloves and remove the mouse from your home. Getting mice entangled in white bed linen or blond hair drying on the street should not be regarded as an attempt on human life. Since many insects fly near light-colored objects at night, the animal simply strives to get food for itself.
Bats and rabies
Many people are concerned about the following question: what will a bite from such a creature mean for a person? It is a carrier of 7 genotypes of rabies, of which a person can become infected not with all, but only with three. Moreover, the classic virus, which is found in wolves, foxes and other species of wild animals, is not found in bats. The remaining two genotypes are very difficult to become infected with. 
Their carriers are late moth, water bat and pond bat. Nightworts mostly live in dungeons, so they rarely visit cities. And among the late leatherbacks, not all individuals are sick. And those that are infected die quite quickly due to the defeat nervous system. The virus is not transmitted by airborne droplets.
It is found only inside the body of animals. Even if there are many mice living near a residential building, they are unlikely to harm a person.
Because in families living near human habitation, there are only a couple of sick individuals. And even if, when found on your territory, you take a sick animal with your hands wearing thick gloves in order to take it outside, it will not bite through them. You can calmly let him go and not get rabies. Animals in colonies have a high titer of antibodies to rabies. Remember that these animals are in the Red Book and are protected by law. And due to the fact that the population is poorly informed about the low degree of danger posed by the animals, they tend to destroy their shelters and kill them themselves.
What to do if you are bitten
You can't just watch a person after a bat bite and not be able to do anything. An animal that bit a person was most likely very scared. You should immediately treat the wound with an antiseptic, which is on hand, and apply antibiotic ointment to the bite site. But the ointment is only wound-healing and will be useless if the animal is infected with rabies. The only way to prevent the disease is through vaccination. 
From the moment of the bite to the appearance of its symptoms, an average of 10–60 days pass. Characteristic symptoms are low-grade fever, itching and pain in the scar area, headaches, fatigue, nausea and difficulty swallowing, high sensitivity to external irritants, and disruption of normal sleep. After 3–4 days, auditory and visual hallucinations, aggression, and a sharp increase in temperature are added. The appearance of foam at the mouth is also typical. In the last stage, if timely vaccination is not carried out, paralysis of the limbs, disruption of the pelvic organs, and damage to the cranial nerves are observed. The result is a painful death.