Flight of the Bumblebee Bat Trivia Quiz

Answer: giant golden-crowned flying fox

A species of megabat found in the Philippines, the giant golden-crowned flying fox (Acerodon jubatus) has a wingspan of up to 1.8 m (6 ft). Weighing as much as 1.6 kg (3.5 lb), it may also be the heaviest bat though both the Indian flying fox and the great flying fox compete for this title. Poaching and de-forestation now makes it endangered.

It primarily feeds on fig species, supplemented by some leaves, and plays a crucial role in seed dispersal.

Answer: Mexican free-tailed bat

Known as the fastest flying mammal, the Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) has been measured at speeds up to 160 kph (99 mph). With colony numbers reaching into the millions, tonnes of guano are produced resulting in a heavy atmosphere of ammonia.

This is believed to be countered by choosing caves with ventilation, spiral swarming to promote air change, and genetic traits which allow for higher dissolved carbon dioxide in the blood to buffer against pH changes from dissolved ammonia.

Answer: Hardwicke's woolly bat

A species of vesper bat, the Hardwicke's woolly bat (Kerivoula hardwickii) has a geographic range covering parts of India, China and South-east Asia. Endemic to Borneo, the carnivorous tropical pitcher plant Nepenthes hemslayana provides shelter to this small bat, which roosts inside the pitcher plant in the space above the digestive juices.

In exchange, the plant receives up to a third of its foliar nitrogen from the bat's guano.

Answer: common vampire bat

The common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) is one of three bat species that survive solely on the blood of other animals. They have evolved to cope with large volumes of liquid, the risk of iron poisoning and excess protein. It hunts at night, using echolocation and scent to track down its prey.

Heat sensors in its nose allows it to detect blood vessels under the skin while the anti-coagulant stops the blood clotting while it feeds. As livestock is its preferred prey, and it carries rabies, it is considered a pest by some.

Answer: bumblebee bat

The 'bumblebee' part of its name is perhaps a bit of a clue. Also known as Kitti's hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), it occupies limestone caves along rivers in western Thailand and south-east Myanmar. As well as being the smallest species of bat, it is arguably the smallest mammal by body length with the Etruscan shrew weighing less.

It is around 29 to 33 mm (1.1 to 1.3 in) in length and 2 g (0.071 oz) in mass. They are insectivores, foraging around nearby forestry for short periods around dawn and in the evening.

Answer: greater bulldog bat

Also known as the fisherman bat, the greater bulldog bat (Noctilio leporinus) occurs in South and Central America as well as the Caribbean and gets its common name from its facial features. It is a relatively large bat and one of the few to have learnt to fish. It uses echolocation to detect ripples in the water from fish swimming near the surface, initially flying high and in circles. Once a splash or ripple is detected, it drops down and changes its echolocation signal duration.

With longer legs and claws than most bats, the bat drags its hind legs through the water, scooping up any fish with a combination of its sharp claws and a pouch between its legs. Raking the water where a catch has been made previously is another tactic. It can swim so misjudging the catch size is not too serious. They switch to insects during the wet season.

Answer: lesser long-nosed bat

Also known as Sanborn's long-nosed bat, the diet of Leptonycteris yerbabuenae is largely the nectar of night-blooming plants in Central and North America, mostly within Mexico. There are some 180 species of cacti and agave that the bat pollinates such as the blue agave from which the drink tequila is made.

Its long nose houses a tongue the length of its body and adapted for consuming nectar. Using brush-tipped tongues whilst hovering, they drink nectar and come away with their heads dipped in pollen. Their wings are also adapted for longer open desert flights at the expense of manoeuvrability. An important desert pollinator, they also eat cacti fruit when in season and help disperse the seeds as a result.

Answer: desert long-eared bat

Found in North Africa, the Middle East and into Central Asia, the desert long-eared bat (Otonycteris hemprichii) is a vesper bat which inhabits arid rocky regions and is a ground-foraging gleaner. They eat mostly insects and arachnids. One study of bat droppings found as much as 70% contained scorpion pieces, including the highly venomous deathstalker or Palestine yellow scorpion.

Using echolocation and listening for prey-generated noises, the bat catches the scorpion and bites its head off before eating the body, sting and all. Getting stung repeatedly in the body and face seems quite common but there are no obvious ill-effects on the bat from the venom.

Answer: ghost bat

Classed as a microbat, the ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is endemic to Australia and comparable in size to megabat species such as flying foxes and fruitbats. They are carnivorous and will take insects, small birds and mammals including other bats, amphibians and reptilian prey.

Their nocturnal hunting technique consists of hanging from a perch and waiting until a prey happens along. They use their hearing (including detecting the echolocation signals of other bats), eyesight and their own echolocation to pick out prey, followed by a bite to the neck to kill it and then back to a perch to consume it.

Answer: hammer-headed bat

The largest African bat, the hammer-headed bat (Hypsignathus monstrosus) has a near metre-wide (3.3 ft) wingspan and is fruit-eating. Males are twice the size of females and differ greatly in appearance.

The male's boxy head-shape contains resonating chambers which, combined with vocal cords three times the size of females, helps in the lekking - the gathering of males competing for mating rights through courtship displays. In this case it is a loud honking vocalisation competition resulting in around 5% of the competing males mating with about 80% of the females. The females have a more typical vulpine head.