It’s love day and everyone is included, even (especially), our sweet friends the bats! As a bat researcher and conservation biologist, it is easy for me to fall in love with these funky flying mammals, and it probably is for you too (if you are reading this blog in the first place). But across the wider public audience, bats sometimes get an undeserved bad reputation. To help spread the love, I want to share some tidbits that highlight how love-worthy these little guys actually are, and maybe you can pass some of them along the next time you hear someone smack-talking our sweet little friends.
They love their family.
The first thing we should get straight is that they are (despite their wings) mammals, just like your cat, dog, mom, and brother. Unlike other small mammals, bat moms have long pregnancies (vampire bats have some of the longest that last up to seven months). They don’t have large litters either, usually just having one or two babies at a time. Bats are great moms and invest a lot of care into raising their pups (see picture below for proof). While they are pregnant their bellies get really big and you can even see the pup moving around a little bit! These pups are also HEAVY– they can weigh up to a third of their mom’s weight when born. That would be like a 150-pound woman giving birth to a 50-pound baby! Like fresh human babies, they don’t look *quite right* when they are born, and they come out with big hind limbs and feet! They use those big feet to cling to their mom’s fur before they learn to fly for themselves. In addition to carrying their pup around with them as they forage and go about their batty business, bat moms also help teach their young how to navigate around and utilize their unique skills to forage their own meals (once they wean off of mom’s milk).
They love their friends.
Many bats are also incredibly social! They even have lasting friendships (seeing the same individuals year after year). Fission-fusion is a behavioral pattern where individuals maintain social links despite periods of splitting and joining groups. We see this complex social structure in notoriously brainy animals like elephants, dolphins, and several species of primates. You can add bats to that prestigious list now too! Studies have confirmed that bats even coordinate their daily plans with their community to split up into smaller clusters for roosting. A few species of monogamous bats raise their pup as a couple (like the Spectral bat), but some have to depend on their community. Some species of bats raise their pups as a colony– the greater spear-nosed bat mom might pop out for a bite to eat while other females in the colony play babysitter. In large colonies, moms might have to pick their pup out from several thousand others (using echolocation and their sense of smell).
They love their mates.
Male common vampire bats will woo their loves by sharing a tasty little blood meal with them (a la Lady and the Tramp). He will go out and eat enough for two, then bring home half for her– maybe slightly less romantic than dogs and spaghetti, but I think it’s still sweet. As vampire bats are often especially feared, I think it’s worth mentioning that they are specifically very lovely bats. They cuddle for warmth and groom their mates (grooming can reduce stress, lower heat rates, and promote comradery). Going back to gift-giving, male white-throated round-eared bats will excavate an entire termite nest for his beloved to make into a home for them to share. Some species of bats would rather give a more experiential gift, choosing to serenade their prospective lovers. Different species even have different styles! Mexican free-tailed bats go for a more upbeat tune (click here to hear Sid the bat profess his love in sweet song), while hammer-headed bats with their impressive schnozz prefer something a little jazzier and honk to win their mate (click here for some romantic bat honks). Researchers have even shown that bat love songs have distinguishable syllables and even phrases!
In conclusion, maybe it’s a good day to send some love bat-ward and spread the good word about our fuzzy flying cousins. Happy Valentine’s Day from your friends at IBCP!