Is It True That Some Bats Actually Eat Meat?

Some bats have evolved the means to tackle prey much larger than insects - the carnivorous bats eat small mammals, birds, lizards, frogs and fish. They are similar to insect-eaters, but are larger in size. They find their prey using echolocation and also by listening out for the sounds made by their prey. The fringe -lipped bat of Central and South America, for example, specialises in hunting male frogs by tuning in to their distinctive mating calls.

All bats have a high metabolic rate (the rate at which the chemical processes of the body occur), and they need to eat a great deal just to stay alive. In one study, bats caught only half an hour after the start of the night's hunting had already eaten over a quarter of their own body weight in insects. Digestion is also rapid - food can travel the length of the digestive system in a little over half an hour in some species. Meat eating bats fare better, because their diet is higher in calories per gram than insect eaters.

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No, well actually bats do eat insects, but there is a bat in Australia called the Vampiris bat. It drinks the blood of Australian chickens.

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