1 The bumblebee bat gets its name because it is small. It is about the size of a bumblebee! It is the smallest bat in the world. This bat's body is only about one inch long. With its wings spread out, it is about six inches across. It weighs about as much as a dime!
2 Bats are mammals. The bumblebee bat has fur that is reddish brown or gray. A female bat will give birth to one baby each year. She feeds the baby milk from her body. These little bats have long pointed ears. Its nose looks a little like a pig's nose. This trait gives it another name. It is also called the Kitti's hog-nosed bat.
3 The bumblebee bat, like most other bats, sleeps in the daytime. It flies at night to find food. It eats small insects like moths and flies. How does it find its way in the dark? It uses sound to see. As it flies, the bat makes a squeaking noise. The sound waves from this noise bounce off objects and goes back to the bat's ears. The bat then knows how close it is to the objects around it. Using sound like this is called echolocation. Bats and whales are two kinds of animals that use it to find their way.
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