One of the most beautiful sights in
nature is a full moon, glowing like a huge silver coin in a clear
sky.
But apparently not everyone thinks
that a full moon is a good thing.
Some scientists working at a university in Mexico have been
looking at 26 different species of bats. Surprisingly, they
have discovered that 25 of
those types of bats prefer to hide from bright moonlight.
Bats that normally fly and
hunt for their food under the trees or close to the surface of
water are the most timid when it comes to the moon. The
high-fliers who spend most of their time above the treetops were
much braver and hardly changed their behaviour when the moon is at
its biggest and brightest.
Bats flying out of a cave as the
sun sets (c) cc NPS.GOV
Nobody knows for sure why bats tend
to hide away when the moon is full, but one of the most likely explanations is that the brighter light
makes it easier for predators to spot the bats and gobble them
up. Perhaps there is a good reason for their selenophobia
(that's fear of full moons to you and me) after all.
If you have your own ideas on
scaredy-bats that you would like to share, why not contact us by
clicking here and let us know.
We'll add the best ideas at the end of the article (and don't be
afraid to really let you imagination "fly").
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clicking on the link below?
Go to the Batty Quiz