By Obiabin Onukwugha
Bats are flying mammals. They have forelimbs adapted as wings, and are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium.
Igbos call it “Ụsụ”, Hausas call it “jemage”, and Yorubas call it “adan”
Bats are the second largest order of mammals after rodents, comprising about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. They are traditionally divided into two suborders: the largely fruit-eating megabats, and the echolocating microbats.
Many bats are insectivores, and most of the rest are frugivores (fruit-eaters) or nectarivores (nectar-eaters). But a few species feed on animals other than insects. For instance, the vampire bats feed on blood.
Bats are important to the ecosystem as they help I pollinating flowers and dispersing seeds; many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for these services.
Bats dung has been mined as guano from caves and used as fertiliser.
Also, Bats consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides and other insect management measures. They are sometimes numerous enough and close enough to human settlements to serve as tourist attractions, and they are used as food across Asia and the Pacific Rim.
Some bats are also predators of mosquitoes, suppressing the transmission of mosquito-borne diseases. However, fruit bats are frequently considered pests by fruit growers.
Due to their physiology, bats are one type of animal that acts as a natural reservoir of many pathogens, such as rabies; and since they are highly mobile, social, and long-lived, they can readily spread disease among themselves.
Depending on the culture, bats may be symbolically associated with positive traits, such as protection from certain diseases or risks, rebirth, or long life, but in most societies, bats are popularly associated with darkness, malevolence, witchcraft, vampires, and death.
Bats may live between 20 to 30 years, depending on the environment they find themselves,.according to scientists
In reproduction, the mating process often takes place at night, with the male bat awakening the female by biting her on the neck and then initiating copulation. If copulation occurs during the day, the male will initiate sex by rubbing its head against the female.
Most bat species exhibit only one or two reproductive cycles per year, typically producing a single young.
Why Bata only fly at night
Once upon a time, it was said that the bat and the squirrel were very good friends and they both lived in a village near the forest. But there came a time when the bat became very jealous of the squirrel because the squirrel was good looking and he, the bat, was very ugly.
Though ugly, the bat was a very good cook and so whenever the squirrel visited the bat would cook a mouth watering soup which the squirrel would gladly eat. Since the squirrel was not good at cooking he begged the bat to teach him how to cook a delicious soup.
But the jealous bat said to the squirrel, whenever I want to cook my delicious soup, I always dip myself in boiling water then cook the soup with the hot water and that is why my soup is always delicious.
Not being suspicious of anything, the squirrel was very glad and thanked the bat very much. He then ran home and told his wife to boil water for soup, which she did. The squirrel narrated all the bat had told him to his wife, who laughed and told him it was not possible. She even assured Mr Squirrel that she would learn how to cook but he was not willing to wait any longer. When the squirrel’s wife was not looking, the squirrel quickly jumped into the boiling water and died in the pot.
The squirrel’s wife was very angry and reported the matter to the king who also became angry. It was said that the king was so angry that he ordered his guards and the villagers to capture the bat and kill him.
That evening, two rats were strolling past the bat’s house and were discussing the king’s order to capture and kill the bat. The bat overheard them and went into hiding. Since then, bat has been afraid of being caught by the villagers and he resolved to flying only at night.
