Facts and Figures

Did you know?

• There are 17 species of bats resident in the UK - that's more than a quarter of our mammals species.
• A tiny pipistrelle bat can eat up to 3,000 insects in a night.
• Bats usually only have one baby at a time and can live up to 30 years.
• Bats are more closely related to people than mice.
• Britain's most common bat, the pipistrelle, is only 4cm long and weighs about 5 grams - less than a 2p coin!
• There are over 1,100 bat species in the world (accounting for 20% of all mammal species). Three-quarters of these eat insects just as British bats do. In the tropics bats also eat many other foods - fruit, flowers, frogs, fish, blood, even other bats!
• Bats do not build nests; they hang up or creep into cracks and crannies.
• Valuable foods and derivatives from bat-adapted plants include dates, vanilla, bananas, breadfruit, guavas, kapok, Iroko timber, balsa wood, sisal - even Tequila and chewing gum!
• Bats have excellent navigation skills - they won't get caught in your hair!
• There are thousands of volunteers working for bats in the UK alone.