Tequesta Bath House-Fun Facts
True or False?-Some bat colonies can have thousands of bats in them?
A. True
B. False
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Answer: True! For example, the University of Florida’s Bat houses have between 450,000 and 500,000 bats, most of them Brazilian Free-tailed bats!
Image 17: Flying Fox
Here are some Fun Facts about Bats:
- Bats can swim. While it isn't a normal part of their flight pattern, bats have been observed swimming in stressful situations
- Bats typically live to be about 20 years old, though one bat was documented to live until 30!
- Baby bats are called pups
- The largest bat in the world is the flying fox
- There is a species of bats, called the pallid bat, that eat scorpions! They are also immune to scorpion stings
- Bracken Cave, Texas, is home to the largest bat colony in the world. Millions of Mexican free-tailed bats roost there every year.
- There are over 1400 bat species world wide
- Over 300 species of plants depend on bats to pollinate them, including bananas, guavas, and mangoes.
- Bats are the only flying mammal, sugar gliders and flying squirrels don't actually fly, they glide.
- Bats can eat up to their body weight in insects each night. That's thousands of insects!
Directions:
To get to Bat House 6, continue east to Range road, then head north towards the Ranges. About halfway there you will find Bat House 6 on the west side (left) side of the trail. It is in a small clearing and mounted on a slash pine.