If anything is for sure, bats are not flying mice. They are however, flying mammals, which is a rare commodity. Flying is very rare among the animal species! Bats are the only mammals capable of powered flight! Now, with that said, you may be thinking, “hey, what about flying squirrels?” Well, unlike bats, flying squirrels can only glide, and they cannot stay in the air very long. Certainly, this makes bats very interesting among mammals. Now, despite their flying ability, they do not closely resemble birds at all! They may have wings but the composition is very different, as you shall soon see.

Sustained powered flight uses a lot of energy as compared to walking the same distance. It is however, a very fast way of getting around and it enables bats to travel large distances in search of food. Flight also enables some bats to catch airborne insects or reach flowering fruits and trees, although, that does not apply to the vampire bat. Sometimes though, it is difficult for the vampire bat to find a decent supply of blood, and so, the bats are able to migrate long distances when food becomes hard to find at certain times of the year. It also allows them to find safe places to roost even when they are far from feeding areas.

Now, bats fly by flapping their wings, much in the same way that birds do. The big difference though, it that rather than feathers, bats have a web of tough skin called a membrane connecting their long, bony fingers – so they really fly with their hands. That is why Chiroptera is the scientific name for all bats; it means “hand wing”. Bats are also able to easily change their wing shape to turn, hover, and do flips. Now, a bats wing consists of stretched skin that is so thin, you can see through it! Because it is so thin, it is also easily damaged. A torn or damaged wing would make flight impossible. Therefore, bats are very careful to avoid bumping into things. So, don’t worry about bats flying into your hair, because it just won’t happen!

A bat has five pointed claws, or toes, on each of its two feet. The skin of a bat’s wing stretches from the fingers to the feet, and even to the tail! When a bats wings are not in use, a bat will fold them to protect the membrane. Bats also spend a lot of time grooming their wing membranes. Yet, amazingly, a bats wings are not used solely for flight. When a bat is cold, it can stretch out its membrane and wrap itself in its wings. On the other hand, when it is too warm, it can stretch out its wings and allow excess heat to escape through the skin. All bats sleep with their head tucked inside their wings.

A bat’s wings are amazingly versatile! When a bat wishes to land, it curls its tail membrane forward and up. This scoops up air, and helps to create a slowing effect called drag. Bats are able to fly by using their strong shoulder and chest muscles to move the wings back and forth, and up and down. Bats are able to stop and glide for a short time, although they are not able to ride the air currents as birds do. As soon as a bats wings stop flapping, its wings begin to fall. It must flap its wings again if it wants to stop falling, or go higher.