These creepy creatures can be found all around the world, including 1,100 species of them.  The bat is classified as a mammal, since they have hair.  They are the only mammal known to have the capability of flying.  Other mammals that most people think are able to fly, really do not "fly".  These other mammals include:  flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos.  These mammals actually glide rather than fly, and they can only glide for short distances, unlike the bat.  Bats do not fly in the same fashion as birds.  Instead, they have their own unique flapping technique.

Most bats' menu consists of fruit, while other species of the bat consumes insects, and there are only three species that drink the blood out of animals to survive.  Two species actually eat other bats:  the Spectral Bat -- (also known as the American False Vampire Bat), and the Ghost Bat of Australia.  Leaf-nosed bats prey on vertebrates, Bulldog Bats feed on fish, and the Greater Noctule bat catches and eats small birds in the air.

Bats have a unique ability of emitting high-pitched sounds and listening to resultant echoes.  The bats share this unique ability with dolphins and whales.  Since bats have small, poorly developed eyes, this ability is the bats' main way for finding its prey, and locating nearby objects.  This ability is known as echolocation.

Fun Fact:  Most people think of bats as a cultural symbol of ghosts, death, and disease, but the Chinese believe quite the opposite; that bats are a symbol of longevity and happiness.