- Where to see one
- 3 U.S. zoos in our directory hold bat, confirmed against each zoo's own animal list.
Conservation status
Not Evaluated
This species has not been assessed for the IUCN Red List, so it sits outside the threat scale entirely.
About the bat
Bats, the order Chiroptera, are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight, using long spread-out digits covered by a thin membrane. They make up about 20% of all classified mammal species, with at least 1,500 known species found in almost every region of the world. Most are insect eaters or fruit eaters, and some feed on nectar; vampire bats feed on blood. Most are nocturnal and many roost in caves. The smallest, Kitti's hog-nosed bat, weighs about 2 g, while the largest flying foxes can reach a wingspan of 1.6 m.
Bat facts
- Bats are more agile in flight than most birds.
- The oldest complete bat skeletons, about 52 million years old, were found in Wyoming.
- Fossil bats from Germany's Messel Pit, 48 million years old, were the first fossil mammals whose colouring was discovered.
- The name Chiroptera comes from Ancient Greek words for hand and wing.
Where to see bat in the U.S.
3 zoos across 3 states
Find the closest one
Rank the 3 zoos holding bat by how far they are from you. Your location is used in your browser to sort this list and is never sent to us.
California· 1
Florida· 1
Illinois· 1
AZAThe Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Accredited members have passed an independent inspection of animal care and welfare, safety, conservation and education, repeated every five years. Many smaller facilities never apply, so “not accredited” isn't a verdict on its own. What accreditation means · How we check this
Built from each zoo's own published animal list.
