ANIMALS:
BATS

BATS LESSON

Directions:

Print the Bats reading comprehension passage and questions (see below).

Students should read the passage silently, then answer the questions.  Teachers may also use the text as part of a classroom lesson plan.

Lesson Excerpt

     There are many species of bats, living on every continent except Antarctica. Each species has adapted to its environment and has adjusted its diet for where it lives.  Out of about 4,000 species of mammals on the planet Earth, 900 of those are different species of bats.  Another way to say this is that one-fifth of the world's mammals are bats! Bats' wings are like hands with very long fingers.  Thin, leathery skin covers the spaces in between.  Bats have furry bodies.  Some bats have short tails; some have no tail. 

     Almost all of the bats in the world eat insects.  Many use echolocation in order to find food and fly in the dark.  Echolocation is the sonar-like system used by dolphins, bats, and other animals to detect and locate objects.  As it flies, the bat squeals to produce a high-pitched sound.  The sounds move away from the bat.  If there is something ahead of the bat, the sound strikes it and bounces back.  When the bat hears the sound coming back, it knows there is something ahead.  Because bats use echolocation, they can fly higher, farther, and faster at night than other nocturnal birds.    The fishing bat uses its echolocation system to detect fish that are swimming near the surface of the water.  Then it swoops down and uses its long claws to grab the fish. They are very, very good at catching their prey.

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