Chapter 9

BAT FACTS FROM A TO Z! Bananas, avocados, and mangoes, oh my! Bats help pollinate more than three hundred species of fruit. They also spread seeds that help nuts grow. Did you know that bats are the only mammals that can fly? (The flying squirrel doesn't actually fly—it glides!) Zoom, zoom! Bats can fly almost one hundred miles per hour. A group of bats is called a colony, and their babies are called pups. Bats, like most mammals, have belly buttons! Sleeping upside down helps bats escape predators quickly.

Listen to see? Bats use echolocation to "see" what's around them in the dark. They send out a sound and listen to the echo that comes back. To be able to fly at night, bats need both good eyesight and good hearing!