The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Columbia Encyclopedia World Factbook American Heritage Coll.
Most bats are economically valuable because of the large number of insects they consume.
The body of the bat is mouselike and usually covered with fine fur. These facial structures are part of the sensory apparatus that emits and receives sound vibrations. Bats of northern regions migrate, hibernate, or both in winter. In most species, males and females do not associate except during the mating season. Females of most species bear a single young in the summer of each year.