Bats: Chiroptera

Bats need a roost, a place to settle or rest, and a place to find food. The type of roost a bat chooses depends upon the type of bat. Bats can roost in hollow trees, cracks in trees, and under bridges. Many bats depend on caves in the cool winter months to survive, and others roost in caves all year long. Some bat species find their roosting site in abandoned mines. The dome shaped ceilings can hide and protect the bats from predators, the animals that hunt them.

A few species of bats make their roost from large leaves, such as palm and banana leaves. These small bats chew across the leaves so that the sides droop down in the form of a tent. Other bats can roost in flowers and animal dens.

Bats often return to the same site at the same time each year. In warm weather, big brown bats commonly roost in buildings and then shift to caves and abandoned mines during the colder months. The Pallas's mastiff bats are found roosting in buildings, hollow trees, rock crevices, caves, and bridges.