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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle

Why are bats (flying mammals) so much rarer than mice (flightless mammals)?

Few and far between? Bats. Photograph: BirdHunter591/Getty Images
Few and far between? Bats. Photograph: BirdHunter591/Getty Images Photograph: BirdHunter591/Getty Images/iStockphoto

In the UK, why are bats (flying mammals) so much rarer than mice (flightless mammals)? Being able to fly and live nocturnally should confer evolutionary benefits, shouldn’t it?

Stuart Sands, London

Post your answers – and new questions – below or email them to nq@theguardian.com

• This article was changed on 13 October to correct an assertion that bats are rodents.

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