Most people are scared of bats, but bats are misunderstood. Bats are the only mammal to fly. Bats belong to the order Chiroptera, which is second only to order Rodentia (the rodent order) in number of species. If bats and rodents were classified together, they would make up about half of all mammal species! You might be wondering: Why are bats classified as mammals? Bats are mammals because they give birth to a live young, nurse their young, and have hair. During the day bats sleep in trees, rocks, caves, and buildings. Bats are nocturnal. (Awake at night) So they use a special skill called echolocation. They leave daytime roosts at dusk. Upon leaving their roost, bat fly to a stream, pond, or lake so they can get a drink. Bats can spread a disease called rabies, however only 0.5% of bats carry rabies.