By comparison, far more people are killed by dog attacks, bee stings, power mowers, or lightning than rabies from bats. Almost all bats that live in the U.S. and 70 percent of the bat species worldwide feed almost exclusively on insects. Bats, in fact, are the only major predators of night-flying insects. Remarkably, one bat can eat between 600 and 1,000 mosquitoes and other insect pests in just one hour. While most United States bat species are insectivorous, bats in other parts of the world feed on a variety of items in addition to insects.
Many species feed primarily on fruit, while several types feed on nectar and pollen.
Fruit bats perform an extremely important function in dispersing seeds. Although bats may occasionally fly very close to someone s face while catching insects, they do not get stuck in people s hair. By far the most famous bats are the vampire bats. These amazing creatures are found in Mexico, Central America and South America. Vampires feed on the blood of warm-blooded animals such as birds, horses and cattle.