Bats are the only mammals that can fly. There are seven species which live in Ireland, but there are about nine hundred types in all. Like all mammals bats bear live young and nurse them on milk. The Irish name for bat is sciathán leathair, which means leather wing.
They have fur on their bodies instead of feathers and their wings and tail are made of leathery skin. Bats are nocturnal creatures - they sleep during the day and come out at night to search for food. A bat can eat as much as 3,000 insects. It hibernates in autumn and lives on a store of fat.
They catch flies, gnats, beetles and moths in the air. The most amazing thing about bats is how they find their way in the dark. They do this by means of echo-location. They have very poor eyesight but excellent hearing. They spend their days in dark, sheltered caves, cavities in trees, attics or cellars.
By David Phoenix and David Cullen
