The bats are set apart from all other mammals because they have the
power of flight. Otherwise, they possess the mammal characteristics of
having a fur covering and suckling their young. Bats are rarely seen
during the daylight hours, as they spend this time hanging upside down
by claw-like feet in and about buildings and in branches of trees. They
are mostly brownish or grayish with large "leathery" wings. Body length
is from three to five inches; wing expanse six to twelve inches. Weight
¼ to 2 ounces. They swoop through the darkness with erratic, twisting
movements and feed on flying insects. Their mouth contains a number of
needle-sharp teeth. Bats have been greatly publicized because of their
ability to fly through total darkness at relatively high speeds,
avoiding all obstacles. In flight, the bats utter crys too high-pitched
to be audible to the human ear. The vibration of these cries are
"bounced back" from objects as the bats approach, and are picked up by
extremely sensitive ears in time to permit dodging the obstacle. In
addition to these "silent" echo calls, they are capable of uttering
staccato squeaks while in flight which are audible to the human ear.
They will not strike or "hit" people in their vicinity. In winter they
may go into a hibernation period in caves or migrate, like birds, to
warmer climates. Very little is known about the species of bats existing
in this mountain region, therefore the following list gives only an
indication of the variety of bats believed to be in the Park.