Bats are warm blooded mammals with hairy bodies and wings that have bones very similar to our hands. These bones support stretched skin to form a wing, which allows them to fly. They are the only mammals that can fly.
There are 17 different types of bat in the UK. The smallest is the Pipistrelle, which is only 4 cm long, and the largest is the Noctule bat measuring nearly 8cm. This however, is still small compared to the largest bat in the world, the Javanese flying fox which has an enormous 2 metre wing span. Native bats will eat insects and often catch them in mid-air. The pipistrelle can eat up to 3,000 insects per night to maintain energy levels for flying.
As bats fly in the dark, they use echolocation to find things. They make sounds as they fly which then echo off objects to let them know where they are. This is essential when trying to catch insects.