Accidents claim some, cave temperatures that drop below freezing take those that don't move in time, but bats are more likely to live out their full life potential than most small mammals. Conservation Bats have many natural enemies and large numbers of them die while still young. Some of the hazards include Great Horned Owls, some species of hawks, Peregrine falcons, raccoons, house cats, and snakes. Bats can be caught on barbed-wire fences, fall from a roost, or die if their cave is flooded. The most significant causes of premature bat death, however, are the activities of people.
Bats are in serious decline nearly everywhere.
Forty percent of the bats in the US and Canada are endangered or candidates for such status. Even small disturbances in their habitat can seriously threaten their survival. Use of insecticides in agriculture is responsible for killing bats in great numbers. When bats consume the chemical-laden insects, the bats become poisoned and die.