The sight of a bat can lead people to think of terrifying monsters, such as vampires, but the greater horseshoe bat is a danger only to insects. This crafty hunter makes up for its poor vision by using sound waves to find prey; it then seems to come out of nowhere to swoop down with deadly precision.
Mashed: This bat's jaws are jam-packed with 32 teeth. Long, sharp front teeth stab into insect prey; smaller teeth in back grind pieces of victims into tiny pieces.
Hover & Glide: This bat has a unique flying style. It slowly flaps its light-weight wings to hover, like a butterfly, and can also stretch the wings out wide to glide over air currents like a large bird does.
Sounds of Silence[]
When resting, the bat wraps its wings around itself like a cape.
Horseshoe bats have poor eyesight, so they use sonar to find prey and navigate in flight by sending sound waves out through their noses and "reading" the echoes that bounce back. This bat got its name from the bottom half of its leafy nose, which is curved like a horseshoe; the shape serves an important function. It helps make the high-pitched squeals the bat emits louder, and their sound waves stronger, so the bat gets a clear picture of its surroundings.
Just Hanging: Like all bats, the greater horseshoe bat sleeps upside down. Groups of up to 1,000 of these flying mammals hang from rafters and roofs of old barns, abandoned cellars and mineshafts.
Spoiler: The thin membrane of skin that makes up this bat's wings extends around its tail in the shape of a shovel. The creature can turn it down in flight (like the flap on an airplane wing) for use as an airbrake, and can scoop insects up with it as well.
Insect Echoes[]
- As a greater horseshoe bat flies through its hunting grounds at night, it sends out high-pitched squeals through its odd-shaped nose. The sound waves from its squeals hit flying insects and bounce back into the mammal's inch-long ears, telling it exactly where its prey is.
- When the bat receives these signals, it follows the flying insect, then dives down and grabs the victim in its mouth. The bat will crunch up its dinner in mid-flight if the meal is small enough, or it will land on a branch to eat if it catches an extra large insect.
Trading Card[]
Trivia[]
- The main image on the back of the card is the same one used on the front of the Wildlife Explorer card, albeit with the background cropped out.