Bats are in two families, microbats and megabats.
The webbed forelimbs of bats make them the only mammal capable of sustained flight. Approximately 70 percent of bats consume insects, while others eat fruit and a few consume fish. One of the insects often consumed by bats are mosquitoes, most often consumed by smaller bats or those in the family of microbats.
Types of Bats
Bats fall into two categories, megabats and microbats. The megabats are usually large and have well-developed sight and hearing. Their eyes are so well developed they do not need to rely on echolocation to find food. Megabats usually eat fruits, pollen and beetles.
Microbats are usually smaller than megabats and have smaller eyes and larger ears. Their eyesight is usually poor and they rely on echolocation to find prey, such as insects. Bats in the microbat family include the Seychelles sheath-tailed bat, northern ghost bat, Kitti's hog-nosed bat, lesser horseshoe bat and vampire bat. Microbats usually live in caves, houses and near water sources.
Impact
Although bats are mostly opportunistic and selective in their feeding, some bats largely consume flies, mosquitoes and beetles, thus having a significant impact on the the number of pests. Bats save farmers and gardeners from spending money on crop control and losses from crop infestation.
Consumption
Bats can consume about 600 mosquitoes per hour. A colony of bats can consume hundreds of thousands of insects in several weeks of feeding. However, insects like mosquitoes do not have much trouble compensating for such losses.
Echolocation and Wing Structure
Although bats can see well, even in the dark, they use an echo ability to locate insects and navigate when flying in the dark. The navigation system they used is known as echolocation. Bats echolocate by emitting a call out to the environment and then listen to the echo of the call. They uses the echo to locate and identify prey. The wing structure of a bat allows them to maneuver well in search of its prey, particularly insects that are most active at night.
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