DYK: It’s Bat Week! Let's Take a Closer Look at Bats

It's Bat Week, and we're highlighting the many benefits provided by nature's superheroes!

DID YOU KNOW: Florida has 13 resident species of bats. Eight of these 13 species call South Florida home.

FLORIDA'S BATS: Though often feared, the spooky truth is that bats are vital to the health of our environment. These misunderstood mammals provide many ecological benefits.

Bats live in many different habitats across Florida. They can be found in dry, upland pine forests, in the hardwood forests along the banks of rivers, and most habitats in-between. You can probably even find them flying around in your neighborhood.

BAT-TASTIC FACTS: In recognition of Bat Week, we encourage you to test your knowledge and learn more about the world's only flying mammal.

Bats provide natural pest control: Florida bats are insectivores. They eat moths, flies, dragonflies, beetles, wasps, ants, mosquitoes and more. Some eat as much as their body weight in insects every night.

Bats are not blind: Bats use echolocation, the location of objects by reflected sound, to spot their prey and navigate at night. Almost all bats echolocate at frequencies typically too high to be heard by the human ear, however, one of the few bat calls that can be heard by humans comes from one of the rarest bats in the world, found only in South Florida, the endangered Florida Bonneted Bat.

Bats are part of the food web: They are a source of prey for many owls and hawks.

Baby bats are called pups: A pup can weigh 25 percent of its mother's body weight or more. That's like a human having a 30-or 40-pound baby! Bats are mammals and they nurse their pups. Mother bats also spend lots of time grooming and caring for them.

PROTECTING THESE WINGED WONDERS: All bat species are protected by law year-round in Florida to conserve their populations. To aid in this effort, qualified staff at the South Florida Water Management District routinely conduct surveys of tree cavities and District structures to determine presence and avoid impacts. District staff also use acoustical surveys in parts of the region that fall within the range of the endangered Florida Bonneted Bat to avoid impacts prior to the commencement of clearing activities related to restoration projects.

District staff built and installed the bat house pictured above on District land in Miami-Dade County. Unlike a traditional bat house, this custom bat house is designed for the Florida Bonneted Bat and is built with multiple chambers that provide important roosting habitat and protection from weather and temperature changes.

A BAT-FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENT: Some species have taken to roosting in homes, sheds, and businesses. If you have bats near you, do not harm them or attempt to remove them yourself. For more information, read the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's "Bats in Buildings" guide.