Taiwan home to over 30 different types of bats

This article was published by the Taiwan Headlines on February 27, 2006. It features a recent survey conducted by the Taiwan Endemic Species Research Institute under the Council of Agriculture. The survey indicates that Taiwan is home to over 30 different types of bats. Over half of these types of bats are endemic, which means that they can only be found in Taiwan.

Bats play an important role in helping to control insects and pests. They are also instrumental in helping to spread the seeds of plants and pollen. The survey shows that bats populate areas throughout Taiwan from the plains up to altitudes as high as 3,000 meters. The Japanese long-winged bats have the largest population in Taiwan, and can often be found in caves alongside the nation's northern coastal highway in summer. Meanwhile, the Formosan Flying Fox boasts the largest body among all the bats living in Taiwan.

The survey points out that throughout the world, there are nearly 1,000 types of bats. Based on Taiwan's small size, it is home to a relatively large number of bats. For example, Taiwan has 4.6 times the number of bat species that Thailand does, 9 times the number of species in Japan, 86 times of the number of species in Australia, and 174 times of the number of species in the United States.

Finally, the study suggests that researchers in Taiwan need to carry out more surveys to obtain further information related to the anatomical adaptation of bats, their behavioral patterns and their preferred ecological environment.