After scooping an insect up, the bat reaches down and takes it into its mouth. This method of feeding causes the darting and swooping motions that people associate with bats flying around lights near their homes at night. Because their insect prey also are flying, bats must maneuver and change directions quickly. In addition to visually detecting prey, bats also rely on echolocation, a form of sonar. Bats emit pulses of high frequency sounds at a rate of a few to 200 per second.
Echolocation enables bats to capture small flying insects and to avoid obstacles in their path.
Although bats rarely transmit rabies, people should avoid handling bats because they coud bite and may carry other diseases. Bats are more like parchment than animal flesh. Bats are nocturnal, but they are not blind. For more bat information, write Bat Conservation International, P.o. As a bat skims over the surface of the water, it simply lowers its head and takes occasional gulps of water.