How Much Do Bats Weigh?
Bats weigh from as little as 0.07 ounces up to 3.3 pounds. (2 g to 1.5kg) There are nearly 1,000 different bat species of varying sizes. The smallest bat species, the bumblebee bat, has an average wingspan of only six inches long and weighs less than a penny at 0.07 ounces. The largest bat, the flying fox, can have a wingspan as long as six or more feet and weigh more than three pounds.
The Bumblebee Bat
The smallest species of bat, the bumblebee bat, also holds the distinction of the world’s smallest mammal. The bumblebee bat is extremely rare, being observed solely in Thailand. They roost in small groups of fewer than twenty deep in Thailand’s limestone caves. This bat species does not have a tail and uses its ability to hover to capture insects and spiders.
The Flying Fox
Commonly called a fruit bat, the flying fox includes 173 species of bats. They range in size from the Syconycteris Australis, Blossom bat, which can fit into the palm of your hand, to the Pteropus vampyrus, Malaysian flying fox, the largest of all bat species with a wingspan of up to six feet. Unlike most other bat species, flying foxes do not use echolocation to locate their food but instead rely on their large eyes and a keen sense of hearing. They feed primarily on fruit and nectar and play an important role in seed dispersal and forest pollination.
Resources
- “Animal Bytes – Bats.” SeaWorld/Busch Gardens ANIMALS – HOME. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. http://www.seaworld.org/animal-info/animal-bytes/animalia/eumetazoa/coelomates/deuterostomes/chordates/craniata/mammalia/chiroptera/bats.htm
- “Bat Facts – National Zoo| FONZ.” Welcome to the National Zoo| FONZ website – National Zoo| FONZ. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/smallmammals/fact-bats.cfm>.
- “ADW: Craseonycteridae: Information.” Animal Diversity Web. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Craseonycteridae.html
- “Flying Fox Conservation Fund Bat Gallery.” Flying Fox Conservation Fund. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2011. <http://www.flyingfoxconservationfund.com/fruit-bats/fruit-bats.html>.
