The bat holds the distinction of being the only mammal that can sustain flight. Most bats are better flyers than birds, being able to fly more slowly and with far better maneuverability. No bat is blind, but has well developed sight and smell. Since sight is no help in darkness, bats navigate by echolocation. Echolocation is much like radar, the bat bounces sound off objects to ascertain their direction.
Bats roost during the day in caves, hollow trees, under rocks or in old barns.
Some live alone, others in groups. They usually produce only one young per year. This may be because bats have such a long life-span. The accusation that bats transmit disease, particularly rabies, is almost completely unfounded. This idea likely arises from the tropics where true vampire bats feed off blood from small wounds they inflict in cattle.