Bat Myths Debunked

Bats eyes are very functional. Bats' retinas have an abundance of rods (a prerequisite for night vision) and also two types of cones: the ordinary, that serves them well in daylight conditions, and UV-sensitive that gives them night vision. Bats use, but do not depend exclusively on their sonar. Some bats can see better than others, but none are blind. Some varieties of bats can see color and others can only see black and white.

Bats groom themselves by meticulously licking and scratching themselves and each other for hours. Bats are the only mammals that can fly. An average bat lives about thirty years.  Out of the 900 species of bats, there are only three vampire bats in the entire world and they are generally found in South America. The remaining species of bats over the world feed off of fruit, nectar, pollen, and insects.

Dolphins and Porpoises

Many people confuse the two, so here is a summary of the differences of these mammals.

Top Porpoise, bottom Dolphin

Feature	Dolphin Characteristic	Difference in a Porpoise
The nose	A dolphin usually has a pointed snout (beak)	A porpoise snout is short and blunt like a cartoon fish sketch (never strongly pointed)
The fin (Some species of both have no fin on their back)	The leading edge of the fin on a dolphin's back is shaped like a curling wave (Called the dorsal fin)	The leading edge of a porpoise's back fin is straight. The porpoise's fin is also triangular like a shark's
The teeth	Dolphins have pointed cone-shaped teeth	Porpoise teeth are flat, spade shaped, with upper edges that are long and sharp
Size	Dolphins grow up to 12 feet long	Porpoises are usually less than 7 feet long
Shape	Dolphins are longer and sleeker in shape	Porpoises are shorter and more compact
Sounds	Dolphins produce sounds we can hear (and are talkative!)	Porpoise sounds are inaudible to us
Behavior	Dolphins have much less fear of humans - will ride the waves alongside boats	Porpoises are shy - you are much less likely to see one - wild or captive. Rarely seen at surface unless up to breathe.
Groups	Dolphins live in large groups	Porpoises live in pods of 2 - 4
Lifespan	Dolphins can live for more than 50 years	Porpoises do not live long past the age of 15

Dolphins are some of the only animals known to have sex for reasons other than reproduction.