Though bats may look like flying mice to some, they are not closely related to those animals and have sharp canine teeth which can penetrate the hard outer covering of insects. The insect eaters of North America belong to a sub-group called micro bats. Most members of this group look for food using something called echolocation, which lets them know not only location, but size and speed of their prey. Many people think that having this ability means that bats cannot see, but nobody ever says that dolphins cannot see and they have a similar ability. Bats actually have good vision and most of the members of the other sub-group, the mega bats, do not use echolocation but find their food by smell and/or sight.
Some of our species will stay around during the winter. They will enter a state called torpor, which is like a mild version of hibernation. On warmer days when insects may become active, some species will actually arouse and take advantage of a mid-winter snack. It takes a lot of energy to wake up though, and if animals are disturbed much when they are hibernating or in deep torpor, they may not have enough stored fat to let them survive until spring. Those species that spend their winters in caves or warmer climates will move to their winter homes starting in late summer or early fall. This seasonal movement is called migration.
A * means that, though not endangered, this species is one of special concern
