Hunters of the Night: Bats (8/35)

Hunters of the Night: Bats (8/35)

Hardly any other animal is shrouded in as many myths and sagas as the bat: it must be its aversion to light, its life in night and darkness which make it seem so strange and uncanny to humans. Twenty-two different species of bat live in Bavaria, often hardly noticed due to their nocturnal way of life. And yet bats are actually very unusual animals: they are the only mammals which can really fly, and even in pitch darkness they are perfect hunters, able to track down their millimetre-sized prey by means of echolocation. In winter bats hibernate for months in frost-free caves, and even in summer they are able to adjust their body temperature to their surroundings.