Mexican free-tailed bats from Bracken Cave eat 100+ tons of insects every night — saving Texas farmers millions in pesticide costs. Bats are the world's only true flying mammals, with around 1,400 species making up roughly 20% of all mammal species. This quiz covers their biology, diversity, ecology, and the myths and diseases that surround them.
Each round presents 10 randomized questions from a pool of 50, with four multiple-choice options and instant feedback after every answer. Your final score comes with a performance tier and shareable results.
You'll cover Chiroptera taxonomy, echolocation physics, vampire bats and the anticoagulant 'draculin,' giant flying foxes, white-nose syndrome, key roosting sites like Bracken Cave and Austin's Congress Avenue Bridge, and the ecological services of pollination and pest control.
No. The phrase 'blind as a bat' is a myth. All bats can see; many fruit bats have excellent vision and rely on sight rather than echolocation, while insect-eating microbats use both eyesight and sonar.
White-nose syndrome is a fungal disease caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans that has killed more than six million bats in North America since first detected in 2006. It infects hibernating bats, disturbing their torpor cycles and depleting fat reserves.
Around 1,400 species of bats have been described, making the order Chiroptera the second-most diverse mammal order after rodents and accounting for roughly 20% of all mammal species.
Last updated: May 2026