Most bats are eaten by birds of prey, snakes, climbing mammals, and a few larger reptiles or fish that can catch them at night or at their roosts.

Quick Scoop

Main predators that eat bats

  • Owls – Night‑hunting raptors like barn owls and great horned owls snatch bats in mid‑air as they leave or return to caves and roosts.
  • Hawks and “bat hawks” – Some hawks will take bats at dusk; the bat hawk is a specialist that primarily eats bats on the wing.
  • Falcons – Fast falcons (like peregrines in some areas) can grab bats during evening flights when their paths cross.

Reptiles and creepy‑crawly hunters

  • Snakes (especially rat snakes) – Excellent climbers that raid caves, trees, and crevices to grab sleeping bats; they often specialize in bat colonies.
  • Crocodiles/alligators (occasionally) – In places where bats drink from rivers or fly low over water, crocodilians sometimes snap up bats at the surface.
  • Large centipedes – In some caves, big predatory centipedes sneak into cracks and kill roosting bats with a venomous bite.

Mammals that will eat bats

  • Raccoons and similar climbers – Opportunistic predators that raid bat roosts in buildings, trees, or bridges when they can reach them.
  • Opossums – Not bat specialists, but they have been observed eating roosting or fruit bats in tropical areas when the chance arises.
  • Weasels, martens, and some wild cats – Small carnivores that can climb or enter caves may take bats if they’re accessible.

Other surprising bat‑eaters

  • Other bats – A few large carnivorous bats, like the spectral bat in Latin America, prey on smaller bats as well as birds or small vertebrates.
  • Fish and aquatic predators – When bats skim low to drink, large fish or aquatic animals may grab any that hit the water.

Why bats get eaten at all

  • Bats are vulnerable when they are roosting (sleeping in caves, trees, roofs) and when they swarm out at dusk in big groups, which attracts predators.
  • Many predators take bats opportunistically rather than as their main food; bats are usually one item among insects, rodents, birds, and other small animals.

TL;DR: Owls, hawks (including bat hawks), snakes (especially rat snakes), raccoons, opossums, some wild carnivores, large centipedes, crocodiles, and even other bats are known to eat bats when they get the chance.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.