Other species, live in groups called colonies and are likely to inhabit caves. Tropical bats make homes everywhere from banana leaves to spider webs. Nearly all bats that live in the United States feed on insects. As it flits about, the bat gathers insects in its open mouth or in its tail membrane, which it controls like a scoop. In the course of one night's hunting a bat may consume more than half its own body weight in insects.
Bats consume many hundreds of thousands of tons of insects each year.
As it flies across open water, the bat swoops low and dredges up water in its dangling lower jaw. It may make several passes over a pond or rain puddle to reduce its thirst. The birth, however, following a delayed fertilization where the sperm is held dormant within the female, takes place in the spring or summer after an actual gestation period of 50 to 60 days. While some births occur in May, June and July see the arrival of most baby bats. As the infant emerges, the female cups her tail membrane to catch it.