Spotlight On Nature: Bat

Age range 8 to 10

Found on every continent except Antarctica, bats are the only mammals capable of flight. There are more than 1,200 bat species, divided into two main groups: microbats and megabats. Most microbats eat insects, consuming up to 1,000 per hour. Some also eat frogs, birds, fish and lizards. Microbats have small eyes and large ears because they rely on echolocation to manoeuvre during flight and capture prey. Megabats have larger eyes and smaller ears. They rely on sight and smell to find food. Megabats eat fruit and flowers, as well as powdery pollen and sugary nectar. Spectacled flying foxes are megabats.