This Bat’s Bath Time Looks More Like a Cat Grooming Session

Did you know that bats actually have some traits in common with cats? Specifically, their bathing routines. Rather than bathing in water like humans and other mammals, they groom themselves by licking their fur and wings. This Instagram post by @lubeebatconservancy shows a bat hanging upside down while cleaning its wings.

How Bats Bathe

Bathing is a natural instinct for bats, as being clean is important for their well-being. They bathe in a variety of different ways, mostly using their tongue to lick at their fur and wings. Just like cats, bats are meticulous groomers that spend a significant amount of time cleaning themselves. While they are hard to see because they are nocturnal animals, the Instagram post gives a very clear view of how they groom. Besides just licking, they also nibble at their fur to pick through it precisely and scratch to get an extra deep clean. This helps maintain the healthy condition of their fur and wings, as their tongues spread essential oils across the wing membrane. Bats typically bathe several times throughout the day. They often groom after a flight, while at rest, or simply because they want to.

Grooming is a common behavior among all bat species. Due to similar physiology and needs, bathing is not a behavior isolated to a single species. Bathing is important for multiple reasons. The first and probably most important reason is flight maintenance. Keeping their wings clean helps them stay flexible and smooth. Another reason, common to other animals, is parasite removal. Grooming is essential for many mammals to remove mites or parasites that may harm them. A unique trait of bats is that grooming enhances their scent and pheromones, which are essential to their social identity and bonding. Grooming spreads their scent across their body, allowing the colony to recognize them more easily. Some species may even groom each other to build social bonds and trust within the colony, which is important.