Though bats can scare some people, brown bats, like many other species of bats, are important to the environment. They help eat pesky insects, pollinate flowers and even disperse seeds to help grow new plants and fruit. Bats can fly, unlike other mammals.
Types
The big brown bat has a wingspan of nearly 16 inches. Big brown bats live in 48 states, mostly within wooded areas. Big brown bats are one of the fastest bats, flyng at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour, according to the Desert Museum. The little brown bat lives in North America, Canada and parts of Mexico. They can grow to have an 11-inch wingspan. Little brown bats like to sleep in barns, attics of homes or around lakes and streams.
Echolocation
Brown bats, like other bats, use echolocation to locate food. Brown bats make high-frequency sounds with the nose or mouth. The sound bounces off of objects, reaching back to the bat's ears. This allows the bat to find food by listening to the echo. Bats use echolocation to avoid hitting objects when flying and to fly in complete darkness.
Diet
Big brown bats love to eat beetles. Big brown bats will also catch moths, flies and other flying insects. It can take up to five hours for big brown bats to eat. Big brown bats can eat up to 50 percent of their body weight in one feeding. A little brown bat can eat nearly 1,000 mosquitoes in an hour, states Bat Rescue. Little brown bats also eat flies, wasps, gnats, mayflies and moths.
Other Fascinating Facts
Big brown bats can live up to 20 years. Little brown bats can live nearly 40 years. Brown bats sometimes communicate in the air by making a honking sound. This helps to prevent collisions when flying. Mothers talk to their pup by making a squeaking sound. If a pup gets separated from its mother, it will also squeak, helping the mother locate it. Nursing female brown bats can eat more than their body weight in one night. That can add up to nearly 4,500 bugs.
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