Do You Think Bats Are Blind?

Who ever said they were “blind as a bat” has a lot of explaining to do! There are over 100 species of bat in the world and every single one can see fairly well. The truth is that bats are not blind at all; they just have different visual capacities than other animals. Because they are nocturnal, they use alternative senses as well to communicate and see at night. Continue reading to learn about the differences between major bat species when it comes to their eyesight and sight aptitude.

Megachiroptera Bat Species

There are two species of bats, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera. They are believed to share the same descendants, but overtime, evolved separately from each other. Megachiroptera bats are mostly medium and large in size. These megabats generally feed on fruits, nectar, and at times, fish or small animals. Additional terms for Megachiroptera bats include Flying Foxes, Fruit Bats, Megabats, and Old World Fruit Bats.

Megachiroptera bat species have large eyes and visual centers; allowing them to see better at night. They use their sight, as well as, their sense of smell to navigate in the dark and catch their prey. For example, a Flying Fox can also see during the day and in color as well! In fact, they cannot see or fly well on moonless nights, making them rely on their daytime vision.

Microchiroptera Bats

Microchiroptera bats are the smaller species of bat. They mostly eat insects and hunt them through the process of echolocation. Echolocation is the system that allows bats to navigate around, map out their surroundings, and catch their prey. It is like a sonar system that bounces high-frequency sounds off nearby objects; allowing them to grid their surroundings. You see, in mammals, there are two types of photo-receptors: cones and rods. Cones are primarily for daytime and color vision; whereas rods are for night vision. Without mentioning, you can already guess which species of bat has more of what. It’s not that micro bats do not have cones, they simply have under-developed ones compared to their sister species, the Mega bat.

Bat Removal Services in Louisville, Kentucky

Call 502-553-7622 for licensed bat removal services in Louisville, Kentucky. We provide several safe and humane, non-lethal bat control services for residential and commercial properties. Service include attic restoration and repairs, prevention, cleanup, exclusion, and more. Call 502-553-7622 for affordable bat removal and control in Louisville, KY and its surrounding neighborhoods.

A Newly Discovered Technique Bats Use to Navigate in the Dark!

A new study recently revealed that microbats use more than echolocation to navigate around at night. No more is sonar the only navigational resource used by bats! Just to review, echolocation is a type of sonar system that microbats use to map their surroundings in the dark. Although not blind, microbats have small visual centers that inhibit their vision capabilities. By emitting small sounds and listening for the return echo, bats can make a mental grid of their surroundings, and better hunt for prey. The only megabat known to also use sonar is the Egyptian Fruit Bat. All other megabats retain a large visual center that allows them to see well at night.

Microbat Navigation

Now back to the topic at hand! The newly discovered ability in bats involves polarized light! That’s right; microbats apparently use patterns of polarized sky light to navigate their way around. They can actually calibrate their internal magnetic compasses by using the pattern of scattered sunlight in the atmosphere! This is a truly remarkable gift! You see, depending on the position of the sun during the day, polarization patterns and directional sunlight vary.

What we don’t know is how microbats detect polarized sunlight. I guess that answer will come later after more research and studies! One interesting fact is that bees also use this type of navigational resource, and other insects as well. Bats truly are fascinating and wonderful creatures that are a vital part of our Eco-system; however, when they trespass onto our properties, they can make quite the mess and cause quite the disturbance. When this happens, be sure to call a licensed Louisville Bat Removal contractor for safe and humane bat exclusion services and assistance. Bats should never be trapped, harmed, or killed.

Louisville Bat Removal

Call Louisville Bat Removal at 502-553-7622 if you have a bat infestation problem. We are DNR licensed bat exclusion specialists with decades of experience in the bat removal and control industry. We offer emergency services, free estimates, DIY advice, and a wide range of bat control services. Call 502-553-7622 for licensed bat removal services in Louisville, KY and its nearby counties.

How Do Mother Bats Find their Baby Bats in Dark Caves?

Wild bats live in very large colonies. They preferred to remain in large masses in order to protect themselves and their offspring. Even though female male pets tend to remain separated from one another, the vastness of the colonies makes it easy for a male and female bat to find each other and mate. Female bats typically only give birth to one pup at a time. They remain with their mothers, either in their tail pouches or attached to their underbelly, until they are able to fly on their own. Once a baby bat is old enough to fly on their own and catch their own insects, mother bats no longer need to care for their offspring. However, while a mother bat is still caring for their young, they remain attentive and focused on their baby.

There are lots of interesting facts about mother bats and baby bats. For example, a mother bat can locate pup and a large mass colony, simply by their voice and smell. This is an incredible gift for these animals. When it comes to finding their baby bath and dark caves, this is one of the main methods of locating there young. There are other ways that mother bats find a baby pets and are caves as well. It is a system called animal echolocation.

Animal echolocation is also referred to as sonar, and is a biological system used bats; as well as, several other types of wildlife such as dolphins. When bat use echolocation, they send out and emit sounds into the surrounding area, and then listen for echoes to return to them. This time of sending out calls and listening for echoes allows bats and other animals to visualize and map out the surrounding environment. This way they can know what objects are nearby, where other objects are located, and more. It’s basically a built in navigation or GPS system.

Echolocation is a fascinating characteristic of bats that make them fun and interesting to learn about. Although bats are greatly admired nature, when they get into our homes and trespassing to properties, they can become a nuisance animal. When this happens it’s important to contact a professional wildlife control company. They have the proper tools, training, knowledge to safely extract bats and animal proof your home or property.

For professional bat removal in Louisville, Kentucky call 502-553-7622 today. We are highly trained, qualified, and insured back control technicians that have more than 20 years of experience in the animal removal industry. We provide a long list of back control services; including bat cleanup, bats in the attic, attic restorations, bat prevention, and much more. Our highly accomplished animal control technicians only use safe and humane methods to remove bats from residential or commercial properties, and relocated them to safer and far away habitats. If you suspect that your home or property is experiencing bat problems, contact our professional Bat Removal Company in Louisville, Kentucky at 502-553-7622 right away.