Bats

• PRINT
• EMAIL

Poor misunderstood bats! They're mammals with a nasty rep that is undeserved. They fly (but not into people's hair). They hang upside down. They're better than sprays at controlling bugs. To people who don't know their true story, everything about bats is surprising.

Bat Conservation International has a Web site at http://www.batcon.org/. Go to this site and read about bats. Try to answer these questions.

• The bat is the only mammal that has achieved powered flight. What do bats rely on for navigation?
  
  
  
• How many species of bats are there?
  
  
  
• Bats play an important role in keeping down the number of insects in some places. How much can bats eat?
  
  
  
• What are some good reasons to protect bats? Think about this: What happens to the number of insects in an area when the number of bats there goes down?
  
  
  
• People can build houses for bats. What can you find out about bat houses?
  
  

Extension Activity

Travel to http://www.lhs.berkeley.edu. Go to Kids' Corner and click on "Bat Quiz." Write down your answers and use the links to check them. What is the weirdest fact about bats that you can find? Record the source. Compare your fact with those your classmates find. Do you still believe bats are bad?

 

Teacher's Notes

Bats Teacher's Notes
Grade Levels: 3–6
Learning Objectives:

• To investigate information about bats
• To find relevant information in a Web site
• To use links to conduct an Internet search
  

Time Required: 1 class period

Atlanta Beauty
The wait is finally over! Zoo Atlanta's baby panda received the name Mei Lan on Friday. The panda was born in September to parents Lun Lun and Yang Yang, who are on loan from China. Following Chinese tradition, the cuddly cub was named 100 days after her birth.

Meet the New Monkey
Scientists have discovered a new monkey in Brazil. The tiny mammal is about the size of a squirrel. But the mini-monkey is already in danger of disappearing. Its rain forest home being cleared to make way for major building projects in the area.

Talking Science: Extreme Mammals
See the video interview with a top paleontologist from the American Museum of Natural History. View the photo slideshow, read the articles articles, and find activities on mammals.

UNIT PLAN	A Wild Family Album! Prompt students to perform extensive Internet and book research on animal classification, organize their findings, and create an animal family...
ONLINE ACTIVITY	Grade 1 - Hello, Baby Panda! Most pandas live in China, but 1st-grade readers will visit a baby panda born right here in the United States with this audio article with p