The silver-haired bat lives mainly in trees in large groups. This is called their roost. They keep close together for warmth and make a lot of noise at each other. I've heard that most of these noises are them complaining to each other about food shortages or overcrowding. I am not sure if the latter is true, but if it is, it really does add a lot of character to them.
As far as food, these bats will fly about tracking various flying insects--such as moths--with a process called echo location. This basically means that they cry out and listen to where the sound bounces off of which gives them a picture of where the insect is. This ability is important since this creature is nocturnal. Once the bat gets a good lock on the insect, it will swoop down and gobble it up mid-fight. It can do this for hours at a time before it is satisfied.
As far as reproduction, silver-haired bats will actually copulate mid-flight. They will then find a secluded place--such as a cave--and hibernate during the 50 to 60 day gestation period. The couple will give birth two 2 offspring and it is nearly always a male and a female. The mother will wrap their children up in their wings for warmth, and I think that is very cute.
In fiction, the most notable silver-haired bat would be from the book "Silverwing" by Kenneth Oppal. Although this book featured quite a large number of bat species, the main character Shade was a silver-haired bat. He was also a runt that had a major task ahead of him which required much bravery. This book was later made into a TV series. It lasted one season with 13 episodes total. I am currently reading the book, and it is very good.
These particular bats are some of the most common around the country. I do see them as contrary to themselves in that they love being together in large groups, yet they do seem to complain about all the crowding in the area. Sounds to me like a bickering family that loves each other despite the frustrations of always being together. That's how I see them as characters.
I'll see if I can find some other bats to spotlight. Until then, have a look at these pictures!
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It is interesting that they use sound to find their prey. Copulating while flying sounds like a wild ride. Since they are nocturnal, that makes for a wild night.
ReplyDeleteThe inventors of the mile-high club.
DeleteI've always thought bats were cute despite their negative stigma. It always fascinated me how precise they can be with the echolocation. The "Silverwing" TV series looks like it would be interesting.
ReplyDeleteI saw the first couple of episodes. They got me interested enough to read the book.
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