# Where Do Bats Live?

> Where bats live: Caves, forests, and urban roosts worldwide, native range cues, and human overlap. Status Least Concern.

- **Species:** Bat (*Chiroptera*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Varies (insects, fruit, nectar, blood)
- **Habitat:** Caves, forests, and urban roosts worldwide
- **Lifespan:** Commonly 10–30 years depending on species
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bat/where-do-bat-live/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bat/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

Bats are the only mammals capable of true, powered flight, with wings formed from skin stretched between long finger bones. There are more than 1,400 species worldwide, ranging from tiny insect-eaters weighing a few grams to large fruit bats with wingspans over 1.5 m (5 ft). Most are nocturnal and many navigate and hunt using echolocation, eating insects, fruit, or nectar depending on the species. Bats live across the world except the polar regions, and some can live 20 to 30 years.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a sighting hotline. This page is native range and habitat.

## Flight and echolocation

Bats are the only mammals that can truly fly, beating wings of thin skin stretched between elongated finger bones. Many species hunt and navigate in darkness using echolocation, emitting high-pitched calls and listening for the echoes to build a sound picture of their surroundings. This lets them catch flying insects with extraordinary precision on the wing. Most bats roost upside down in caves, trees, or buildings during the day and become active at dusk.

## Help protect the Bat

Even familiar animals lose ground as wild habitat keeps shrinking worldwide.

[Donate to wildlife protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/donate/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/bat/where-do-bat-live/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.