5 Cool Things about Bats

Compared with other small mammals, bats have exceptionally long life spans. The oldest bat ever observed in the wild was 34 year old.

Vampire bats aren't actually Count Dracula in disguise, but that hasn't stopped scientists from acknowledging the pop-culture connection: The anticoagulant in one species's saliva, which keeps blood flowing so bats can keep drinking, is known as draculin.

Some bats practice heterothermy, in which they bring their body temperatures down to that of their surroundings while at rest. Some also hibernate in the winter, and can even tolerate body temperature below freezing.

Bats prefer to fly, but they can swim if they have to. Bat-watchers have observed flying foxes taking short dips to collect dropped food and using their wings to swim back to land.

Among mammals, bats have some of the largest colonies - populations can number in the millions. Relatives find each other by smell and calls.
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