| We're ready for a special 90-minute class called Nocturnality. This is an Christian apologetics class for kids in Grades 4-6. Our registered students will complete a cool bat anatomy display and dissect real owl pellets while considering the night life from a Biblical point of view. For future Made in Six classes and offers, follow our Facebook page: Made in Six, Carthage, Missouri. Nocturnality: a behavior in which an animal is active at night |  |
Psalm 63:6, 7*
When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy.
Psalm 119:148
My eyes anticipate the night watches, that I may meditate on Your word.
Ephesians 5:11-13
Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them; for it is disgraceful even to speak of the things which are done by them in secret. But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.
Avoid Eating the Unclean
Leviticus 11:13-19
These, moreover, you shall detest among the birds; they are abhorrent, not to be eaten: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the kite and the falcon in its kind, every raven in its kind, and the ostrich and the owl and the sea gull and the hawk in its kind, and the little owl and the cormorant and the great owl, and the white owl and the pelican and the carrion vulture, and the stork, the heron in its kinds, and the hoopoe, and the bat.
Deuteronomy 14:18
You may eat any clean bird. But these are the ones which you shall not eat: the eagle and the vulture and the buzzard, and the red kite, the falcon, and the kite in their kinds, and every raven in its kind, and the ostrich, the owl, the sea gull, and the hawk in their kinds, the little owl, the great owl, the white owl, the pelican, the carrion vulture, the cormorant, the stork, and the heron in their kinds, and the hoopoe and the bat. And all the teeming life with wings are unclean to you; they shall not be eaten. You may eat any clean bird.
Does any of the language about these verses make you have a question? Might that language make you wonder about the accuracy of the Bible? There is an explanation...that we will get to at the end.
BATS
Fun Facts
They are some of the most intriguing and mysterious creatures in our world.
Bats belong to an order called chiroptera. The word chiroptera means "hand wing" (as we will see when we make our anatomical display of bats later. There are two divisions in the category: megachiroptera and microchiroptera. As you might infer, the "megas" are larger and the "micros" are smaller. In the United States, one will only find smaller bats living in barns, caves, trees, under bridges, and in other locations.
Bats belong to an order called chiroptera. The word chiroptera means "hand wing" (as we will see when we make our anatomical display of bats later. There are two divisions in the category: megachiroptera and microchiroptera. As you might infer, the "megas" are larger and the "micros" are smaller. In the United States, one will only find smaller bats living in barns, caves, trees, under bridges, and in other locations.
A group of bats is called a colony. A single colony can consist of millions of bats. There are 39 species of bats living in the United States of America.
The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat; it weighs as little as a penny. The largest bat is the flying fox. It has a six-foot wingspan.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly. At night, they fly out of the cave to eat. Some eat berries and pollen, while the bats in our area eat insects. Each bat will eat half its body weight in mosquitoes every night. One little brown bat will eat 600 mosquitoes in only one hour.
Bat droppings are called guano. Guano is a valuable source of fertilizer. Bats’ legs are not strong enough to support their weight. In order to use the restroom without flying, they have to hang from their thumbs.
Bats can carry rabies. Do not try to help a bat that you see on the ground!
The smallest bat is the bumblebee bat; it weighs as little as a penny. The largest bat is the flying fox. It has a six-foot wingspan.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly. At night, they fly out of the cave to eat. Some eat berries and pollen, while the bats in our area eat insects. Each bat will eat half its body weight in mosquitoes every night. One little brown bat will eat 600 mosquitoes in only one hour.
Bat droppings are called guano. Guano is a valuable source of fertilizer. Bats’ legs are not strong enough to support their weight. In order to use the restroom without flying, they have to hang from their thumbs.
Bats can carry rabies. Do not try to help a bat that you see on the ground!
Upside-Down
How do bats hang upside-down - and even sleep upside-down - and not fall on their heads? It's all part of God's wonderful design.
Vampire Bats and ScienceScientists and developers have created inventions based on bat design. In fact, even the infamous vampire bat might be helpful to our health. This bat bites with the sharpest teeth in the animal kingdom, but uses a local anesthetic to numb the victim. The bat can then lick the blood in leisure, even using an anticoagulant in its saliva to keep the blood from clotting. How might we learn from studying these amazing animals? | |
Echolocation
Have you ever heard of a person being "as blind as a bat"? Actually, most bats have good eyesight, but one of the first things that comes to mind concerning bats is their ability to locate and navigate using echolocation. This is an incredible system that shows a bat where things are as they fly. With echolocation, bats can even detect something as fine as a hair...which is why they will rarely fly into someone's hair.
Evolution or God's DesignMany people in this world believe in evolution. That is to say that they believe that God did not create the universe, but that our world came into existence at random and that earth's animals and plants have changes into different animals and plants through long periods of time. Here is a longer video that answers that argument. | |
 | Anatomical ChartNow that we know a bit about bats, put together your own anatomical chart to take home. All of your materials are provided to show and label the parts of your bat. And yes, your parent is encouraged to help you with this. Go slowly and be careful to keep the stickers intact. |
OWLS
Owls are intriguing to watch, but we don't get to see them very often, because they are nocturnal creatures. There are over 200 species of owls. Like bats, they can be found in all the regions of the earth except in the polar ice caps.
270 degrees
Owls have binocular vision, meaning they can see in 3D, with tremendous depth perception. However, the eyes of an owl do not move left or right, up or down. The owl must move its head to see around itself. God designed this wonderful creature to turn its head almost all the way around, allowing it to gain a mostly complete picture of its surroundings. We have always marveled at an owl that seems to be able to turn its head to look behind it. Actually the owl only turns in a 270-degree measurement and not a complete 360 degrees. Still, it is an amazing feature of this creation. It also allows the owl to look around without rustling the rest of its body and causing sound to alert its prey.
While we're thinking about this, consider what the owl might see. Think about what the owl might be looking for. Food? Predators? Impending storms? What else?
While we're thinking about this, consider what the owl might see. Think about what the owl might be looking for. Food? Predators? Impending storms? What else?
 | Vision and HearingOwls do not use echolocation in the dark. Instead, God has given them large eyes, especially in comparison with their heads. The large eyes allow more of the slightest light to enter their eyes. Owls have asymmetrical ear placement (kind of like 3D hearing). When the owl hears the tiniest sounds - like the footsteps of a field mouse - it can quickly turn its head until both ears hear them. The feathers around the ears are formed and shaped in such a way as to catch sounds. You can cup your own ears and see the difference it makes. |
Silent FlightSpecial talons, beaks, and camouflage also aid the owl in its survival, but the wings are truly spectacular. Watch this video for more context and more appreciation of this fantastic bird. DigestionGod knew what He was doing when creating the smallest details of this animal. The owl cannot digest every bit of its prey, so it coughs up the remaining parts that have no nutritional value (hair and bones). This is done in the form of a "hairball" that we can dissect and investigate to learn more about owls. | In fact, before we leave the owls, you will get to dissect your own owl pellet to discover an owl's diet. Most likely, you will find evidence of a vole. |
FinallyRemember the question from early in our session. The question had something to do with the verses from Leviticus and Deuteronomy, where the writer included bats in lists of birds. We all know that bats are not birds, so how should we answer this question. Apologetics Press should be able to help us in this video. | |
*All Scriptures are quoted from the New American Standard Bible
