The Truth About Austin's Amazing Bats

Which types of bats drink blood?

• Fruit bat

• Vampire bats

• Little brown bat

• Indiana bat

This article is mostly about —

• why Mexican free-tailed bats migrate to Austin every spring

• how many insects are consumed by Mexican free-tailed bats in Texas every year

• why Austin houses the largest urban bat colony in America

• the Mexican free-tailed bats that live underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge

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Mexican free-tailed bats choose to live near water because —

• water cools the temperature of the air where they live

• they enjoy swimming and bathing in warm water

• water attracts the kinds of insects they like to eat

• they need a lot of water to survive

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Why are the bats important to the city of Austin?

• Bats are entertaining and provide a good reason to hold festivals.

• Bats eat large numbers of insects and bring business into the city.

• Bats migrate to Austin to have their babies.

• Bats have made the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge and other bridges famous.

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The use of_______ ________ helps the bat to locate insect in flight.

• food waves
• light waves
• sound waves
• stars waves

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Bats are ________.

• mammals
• reptiles
• insects
• birds

Bats are nocturnal.

• True
• False

3. What does echolocation mean? 

• moving from a cold place to a warm place 
• finding missing objects 
• using sound waves to find objects 
• seeking shelter from bad weather 

The place where a bat sleeps is called a

• echolocation

• mammal

• roost

• nocturnal

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What is the name of one organization that helps protect bats?

• Bats of America
• United Bats of Austin
• Bat Conservation International