Ashvin Dara blogs: Bats

Bats are the one of the symbols of Halloween. They are rumored to be blind. Is this true? Read on to find out.

Are bats blind?

No. Bats are not blind, they can see just like us in the daytime. Also in the nighttime, their visibility is similar to ours. That is why bats use echolocation to get around. The bat emits a high pitch scream which humans cannot hear. They make the scream through their nose because they cannot do it through their mouth while eating. The scream hits an object and the echo comes back to the bat. The bat receives the echo through its ears and identifies the position. Bats can use echolocation to hunt, avoid obstacles and avoid predators.

What do bats eat?

Bats primarily eat insects, but some bats eat fruits. An insect eating bat is very good for the environment because a single bat could eat upto 100 mosquitoes in a single night.

Flying foxes

Flying foxes are the biggest type of bat. The Indian flying fox can grow to be up to 6 feet long! Flying foxes are not really foxes, but a type of bat. They are called flying foxes because their heads look like a fox's head.

They do not eat insects, they eat fruits.