Bats and flying foxes are the only mammals that can actively fly. The oldest bat fossils are around 50 million years old, distributed almost worldwide and found in a wide variety of ecological niches. Around 1,400 species are known worldwide to date.
„Bats have many faces”
Body Structure: "Bats fly with their hands”
Ageing: "Bats don’t get old”
For our native bats, the first winter is the most dangerous. If they survive this, they can live an average of 5–7 years. A couple individuals have set a record for living over 30 years! Compared to other mammals of approximately the same size, bats are actually considered to be among the longest-lived species. There are several suspected factors for this (e.g., telomere length), but they still need to be better investigated and researched.
Reproduction: "Bats mate in the fallt”
Mating takes place in fall, when the bats are making their way to their winter quarters (sometimes even in the winter quarters), but fertilization and development of the embryos does not occur until after hibernation in spring.
Depending on the species, the females come together in April/May in so-called maternity roosts, where they give birth and raise their young.
The gestation period is 6-8 weeks (depending on the bat species and weather). Most bat species only give birth to one young per year; in exceptional cases, such as noctule bats or soprano pipistrelles, twins can be born. Births usually occur in June to July. The young animals are born naked and blind and are cared for around the clock by their mother for their first days of life. At around 4-5 weeks they learn to fly and hunt for the first time.
Comments