We know bats eat insects but still, we thought Do Bats Eat Cicadas? Similarly, we think about many other insects too. If we discuss the insects, then how can we forget the bats? Bats are the key factor of this ecosystem that controls the insects by eating them. So the bats also eat cicadas. Cicadas are underground animals that spend most of their life under the ground and eat the tree roots etc. They produce a lot of sound and are eaten by many other animals.
Do Bats Eat Cicadas
Most people want to know Do Bats Eat Cicadas? Bats have many species and some of them eat cicadas as a part of their healthy diet. Cicadas are easily hunted by bats as they are slow movers. Different bats use different ways of hunting cicadas. Some of them catch cicadas by slowly flying towards them and some catch cicadas by following the cicadas sound. The strong teeth and jaws of bats help them in chewing the exoskeleton of cicadas but Cicadas chitin are indigestible and may cause digestive issues.
Nutritional Value of Cicadas for Bats
Cicadas are a healthy diet for bats because it is full of proteins and fats. Bats consume a large amount of cicadas in summer so that they can store them for winter. There are two reasons behind these; first, in summer a lot of cicadas are available and second in winter there is a shortage of food so the bats prepare themselves for winter by eating a lot of healthy and nutritious diet.
In What Ways Do Bats Capture Cicadas?
Bats capture the cicadas in different ways; Bats use the localization system to find out the Cicada’s location. In this way, the Cicadas are easily caught even at night. Some of the bats follow them by slowly flying near the ground and catching them by wings or their mouth. Whereas some bats follow the cicadas by their calls and fly above the tree’s canopy to catch them.
Cicadas are slow insects; they take some time to move that’s why they are easy prey for hunters. Their exoskeleton is hard to chew and digest but bats are developing themselves for this so they break down the bones and chew them easily.
Benefits of Eating Cicadas for Bats
There are many benefits of eating cicadas some of them are the following;
- Cicadas are the nutritive food for the bats that include proteins and fats. Due to its nutritive properties bats consume a large amount of cicadas in summer when they are available and store for the winter when they face the lack of food.
- Many of the insects and cicadas are eaten by the bats in a single night. In this way, bats are very helpful in controlling insect populations and saving crops and humans from many diseases.
- As you know, cicadas are slow insects with nutritive properties and easy to trap. So it’s a healthy and easily available diet for the bats.
Protecting the Ecosystem Balance
Cicadas and many other insects affect the crops and may cause illnesses. Bats are a great blessing that eat insects and cicadas. By eating cicadas their population decreases to some instant and we are saved from many diseases that are caused by insects. Cicadas and some other insets also destroy the cops and affect agriculture so bats save them too. In this way, bats save our ecosystem. Read Do Bat Bites Look Like Pimples.
Do Bats Eat Cicadas? It is a common question that often arises. Bats eat insects and cicadas too. Cicadas are a healthy nutritive diet for bats. They also control the insect population and maintain the ecosystem. Cicadas are the favorite food of bats and they eat a lot of cicadas a night. Bats consume this nutritive diet in summer and store it for the winter.