Why do bats sleep hanging upside down? The reason is here
Bats are the only mammals capable of flight, broadly referring to the many species of mammals belonging to the order Chiroptera. Their sleeping posture is very strange: they always hook their hind claws onto eaves, hang their bodies upside down, and sleep with their heads pointing downward. It turns out that this strange upside-down posture actually brings bats many benefits. Let's take a look below at why bats sleep hanging upside down!
Why do bats sleep hanging upside down?
The upside-down sleeping posture keeps the bat's body from touching the cold rock walls, thus helping it stay warm. Moreover, a bat's legs are very weak and it cannot walk; even when crawling it must rely on the strength of its wings. If it lay on its belly, it would be very difficult to take off. So bats normally hang upside down, and when they encounter danger, they simply loosen their claws, let their bodies drop, and can easily take off and flee. At the same time, bats have valves in their blood vessels, so the blood will not flow backward and they will not get a rush of blood to the head.
What do bats eat?
Bats have quite a wide range of feeding habits, including fruit, fish, pollen and even blood. Some species like nectar and fruit, some like to eat fish, frogs and insects, some species feed on animal blood, and some species even eat other bats. Generally speaking, large bats mostly feed on fruit or nectar, while most small bats mainly prey on insects.
What symbolic meaning do bats have?
In Chinese culture, the bat is absolutely a symbol of “fortune”, and this can be seen almost everywhere in many surviving ancient buildings as well as in brick carvings and stone carvings; there is no need to say more. But if a person is referred to as a bat, then there is not the slightest auspicious meaning in it. This is because the original meaning of the name in foreign languages is "frivolous mouse". However, in our country, because the character “bat” is homophonous with the character “fortune”, it can still win people's affection among the folk, and its image is painted on New Year pictures.