Bats, worldwide, make up 20% of all species of mammals.

Bats are the only mammals which can fly. Their wing bones are the same as your finger bones but elongated and covered with a double membrane of skin to make the wing.

Bats range in size from that of a bumble bee to fruit bats with wingspans of 5 feet.

Bats are not blind, they actually have quite good eyesight but rely on their system of echolocation to get around. Bats make noises at frequencies too high for human hearing and, by listening to the echoes, can create a sound picture of their environment.

Bats mate in Winter but the females can store the male's sperm in their bodies and don't become pregnant until the Spring when there are enough insects for them to eat and produce enough milk to feed their babies.

All British bats eat insects, one small Pipistrelle bat can devour 3,000 insects every night