Do bats have eyes?

Out of curiosity I wanted to see what google suggested is one of the main questions regarding bats and apparently it is 'do bats have eyes?'  The answer to this question is yes.  In fact many bats have big beautiful eyes.  In some cases bats do not rely on their sight very much and instead echolocate, other bats use their noses to find fruits but some use their eyes extensively.  Here you can see some beautiful examples of bat eyes!  Also- should you like musical inspiration while perusing please enjoy a cover of 'Call me Al'' by Noah and the Whale- a song with its reference to a 'rolly polly little bat faced girl' that just comes to mind when I consider bat faces!

Science Photo library winning photo by Steve Gschmeissner



Ok some species have tiny little 'batty'-eyes!

big bat, little bat, how big are bats?

As far as mammals go bats are on average on the small end of the spectrum. The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) that weighs less than a penny (~2 grams). This rivals the Eurasian pygmy shrew (Sorex minutus) which weighs roughly 2.5 grams, for 'smallest mammal' status. Being a bat biologist I think that the winner is this small little species that lives in Thailand and Burma and is featured in the children's book below that might be of interest to some people.

One of the largest bats is the Large flying fox (Pteropus vampyrus) with wingspans of 1.5 meter (~7 foot) and weighing 1.5 kilograms (3 pounds). Flying Foxes live in Australia and the tropical areas of South-east Asia.

All members of this genus called 'flying foxes' are large and are known for their expressive 'dog-like' faces. These bats eat fruit and are important seed dispersers. Indeed their diets lead to the spread of seeds and consequent growth of fruit trees on distant islands that are easily reached by these large flying fruit-enthusists.

Read more about the conservation issues faced by the Large flying fox due to it being hunted for food (here).

An interesting video about another flying fox species the Grey-headed flying fox can be seen by clicking here.

Additionally, several books about flying foxes are available including the children's story book below.

I would like to direct encourage people to learn abou an amazing organization called the Lubee Bat Conservancy which is based in Florida that aims to conserve biological diversity though the conservation of 'plant-visiting' bats. Bats are extremely important for the pollination, and seed dispersal plants require for their successful establishment. You can read more about Lubee and see amazing photos of the bats housed there by clicking on the link here. If you live in Florida you may consider taking a tour of Lubee to see all of the various fruit bats including flying foxes that are housed there.