Is It a Bird? A Plane?

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Bats are one of the superheroes of the mammal world. Mexican Free-tailed Bats are one species that calls the Nature Center home.
A Mexican Free-tailed Bat. Photo in the public domain.

No, it’s not a superhero, but it is pretty super. It’s a bat. A Mexican Free-tailed Bat, to be specific. These small furry mammals have some spectacular powers deserving of attention. For starters, bats are the only mammals that exhibit “true flight.” While some mammals, such as flying squirrels and flying lemurs, have some airborne maneuvers, they are limited to gliding or parachuting via extra skin that extends outward between their limbs to help them catch the air. Bats have true wings. They are in the order Chiroptera, which means “hand wing.” The bones of their hands are extended, and a leathery skin connects from their bodies to their fingers, allowing them to fly. Mexican Free-tailed Bats are Texas’s official State Flying Mammal.

Did you know that Mexican Free-tailed Bats have been recorded at regular flight speeds just shy of 100 mph (160 kph)? This is faster than most birds, allowing the bats to catch their insect prey in mid-flight. The fastest bird, the Peregrine Falcon, can reach 186 mph (300 kph), but it can reach this speed only while performing a steep dive.

Mexican Free-tailed Bats migrate each summer from Mexico through Texas. While most bats remain farther south near the Hill Country, we do get bats here at the Nature Center. These bats usually migrate from mid-May through mid-August. Mexican Free-tailed Bats will search for roosts in the month of June so they can give birth to their young, called pups. July is spent with the mothers feeding and caring for their pups. By late July through August, the pups will be able to fly and catch their own food.

The Mexican Free-tailed Bat is an insectivore, meaning its diet consists of insects. Moths are some of its favorites. The bats have helped corn and cotton farmers protect their crops from the pupa stage of these moths, which can damage the crops. Another benefit of these bats’ diet is mosquito control. They eat thousands of them each night. It is estimated that a decent-sized colony of these bats can eat upwards of 200 tons of insects a night.

Mexican Free-tailed Bats use echolocation to find their prey in flight. Contrary to common belief, bats are not blind. They actually have very good eyesight, and their use of echolocation is just another tool for them. Echolocation is similar to sonar, where a high-frequency call is sent out and bounces off the insect and back to the bat, indicating the insect’s location. This tool helps the bats catch even small insects, such as mosquitos, while in flight.

As one of the few natural green spaces left, the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge is an ideal habitat for these marvelous mammals. All species of bats in Texas are protected, as their populations are in decline. Climate change, habitat loss, declining insect populations, collisions with wind turbines, and white-nose syndrome (a deadly fungal infection) are all culprits of the decline. It’s definitely worth the effort to learn and enjoy these wonderful masters of the air.

By Colt Hamilton, Natural Scientist Assistant, Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge

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