1. There are over 1200 known species of bats, just about 25% of all mammal species. Most of these bats are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand.
2. The leg bones of a bat are so thin that no bat can walk.
3. A single little brown bat (myotis) can eat up to 1000 mosquitoes in a single hour, and is one of the world's longest-lived mammals for its size, with life spans of almost 40 years.
4. Most bat moms give birth to only a single pup each year, making them very vulnerable to extinction. Bats are the slowest reproducing mammals on earth for their size.
5. The world's smallest mammal is the bumblebee bat of Thailand which weighs about as much as a dime and is critically endangered due to habitat loss.
6. Bats are very clean animals, and groom themselves almost constantly (when not eating or sleeping) to keep their fur soft and clean, like tiny cats.
7. A single colony of 150 big brown bats can protect local farmers from up to 33 million or more rootworms each summer.
8. A nursing little brown bat mother can eat more than her body weight nightly (up to 4,500 insects).
9. Vampire bats adopt orphans, and are one of the few mammals known to risk their own lives to share food with less fortunate roost-mates.
10. Giant flying foxes (fruit bats) that live in Indonesia have wingspans of nearly six feet.
11. Little brown bats can reduce their heart rate to 20 beats per minute and can stop breathing altogether for 48 minutes at a time while hibernating.
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