Where do bats roost?

Bats often roost in caves, but they can make use of almost any shelter. Some species make tents out of leaves, and others live in burrows made by other animals or in termite nests. Bats have even been seen roosting in flowers or in the webs of large tropical spiders.

Approximately 1,240 living species of bat are distributed worldwide except for in Antarctica, the Arctic and on a few isolated islands. Most bats are beneficial to humans. They eat tremendous quantities of harmful insects, pollinate many plant species and disperse seeds. Because bats help control mosquitoes and other night-flying pests, many people put up bat houses to attract the animals and provide shelter for them.