Bats live almost everywhere on Earth except the polar regions and a few very dry deserts. They usually choose dark, sheltered spots called roosts such as caves, trees, rock crevices, and buildings like attics or barns.

Main places bats live

  • Forests, jungles, and woodlands, where they can roost in tree holes, under bark, or among dense leaves.
  • Caves, mines, and rock crevices, which provide stable temperature and protection, especially for hibernation and large colonies.
  • Cities and towns, where they hide in attics, barns, bridges, tunnels, and cracks in walls or under roofs.
  • Near water (rivers, lakes, ponds), where insects are plentiful for them to eat at night.

Where in the world?

  • Bats are found on every continent except Antarctica and the Arctic, and are especially common in tropical and subtropical regions.
  • Hundreds of species live in forests, caves, savannahs, wetlands, and urban areas across Africa, the Americas, Europe, and Asia.

How bats use their homes

  • Daytime: They rest upside down in roosts (caves, trees, buildings) to stay hidden from predators and bad weather.
  • Winter in cooler places: Many species either hibernate in cool, humid caves and mines or migrate to warmer areas.
  • Raising babies: Females gather in warm, safe roosts called maternity colonies in caves, hollow trees, or buildings to raise their young.

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