Ask Difference

Bat vs. Rat — What's the Difference?

Edited by Tayyaba Rehman — By Urooj Arif — Updated on May 3, 2024
Bats are flying mammals with echolocation abilities, whereas rats are terrestrial rodents known for their adaptability and intelligence.
Bat vs. Rat — What's the Difference?

Difference Between Bat and Rat

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Key Differences

Bats are distinguished by their unique ability to fly, the only mammals capable of sustained flight, using their webbed wings which are actually modified arms. Whereas rats are ground-dwelling mammals that use their strong, agile legs for running and climbing.
Bats primarily navigate and hunt using echolocation, emitting sounds that bounce back from objects, helping them detect prey and avoid obstacles in complete darkness. On the other hand, rats rely more on their keen sense of smell and touch through their whiskers to navigate and find food, lacking the ability to echolocate.
Most bat species feed on insects, making them significant for pest control, while some specialize in fruit or nectar, contributing to pollination. In contrast, rats are omnivores, consuming almost anything edible they come across, which often includes grains, fruits, seeds, and occasionally invertebrates, impacting human environments both positively and negatively.
Bats are often solitary or live in small family groups, with some species forming large colonies in caves or trees for part of the year. Rats, however, are typically more social, living in large colonies with complex social structures, often within close proximity to human settlements.
While bats are usually nocturnal, active at night, and rest during the day hanging upside down in their roosts, rats are generally nocturnal or crepuscular (active during twilight), and can be found nesting in a variety of environments from rural to urban.
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Comparison Chart

Habitat

Caves, trees, abandoned structures
Urban areas, fields, woodlands, sewers

Diet

Insects, fruit, nectar
Omnivorous: grains, seeds, fruits, invertebrates

Social Structure

Solitary/family groups, some form large colonies
Social, forming large colonies

Navigation

Echolocation
Keen sense of smell, touch

Activity Cycle

Nocturnal
Nocturnal or crepuscular

Compare with Definitions

Bat

Bats often roost in caves and other secluded places during the day.
We spotted several bats roosting in the old barn.

Rat

Known for their reproductive efficiency, rats can quickly populate new areas.
The rat population in the warehouse grew rapidly.

Bat

A nocturnal flying mammal that uses echolocation to navigate.
The cave was filled with bats hanging from the ceiling.

Rat

A small rodent known for its adaptability and intelligence.
Rats can solve puzzles to reach food.

Bat

Bats emit sounds that are inaudible to humans to detect obstacles and prey.
Bat echolocation is a fascinating adaptation for nocturnal life.

Rat

Often considered pests, rats are common in urban areas where they can find plentiful food and shelter.
City alleys are often plagued with rats.

Bat

A creature known for its role in various ecosystems as pollinators and pest controllers.
Fruit bats help in the dispersal of seeds through their feeding habits.

Rat

Rats have a sharp sense of smell that helps them detect food and dangers.
Rats sniffed out the hidden food in the experiment.

Bat

An animal of the order Chiroptera; the only mammal capable of true flight.
Bats are vital for controlling insect populations.

Rat

Rats are social animals with complex communication systems.
Observing the social structure of rats can provide insights into their survival strategies.

Bat

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera. With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight.

Rat

Rats are various medium-sized, long-tailed rodents. Species of rats are found throughout the order Rodentia, but stereotypical rats are found in the genus Rattus.

Bat

An implement with a handle and a solid surface, typically of wood, used for hitting the ball in games such as cricket, baseball, and table tennis
A cricket bat

Rat

A rodent that resembles a large mouse, typically having a pointed snout and a long tail. Some kinds have become cosmopolitan and are sometimes responsible for transmitting diseases.

Bat

A mainly nocturnal mammal capable of sustained flight, with membranous wings that extend between the fingers and limbs.

Rat

A despicable person, especially a man who has been deceitful or disloyal
Her rat of a husband cheated on her

Bat

A woman regarded as unattractive or unpleasant
Some deranged old bat

Rat

A person who is associated with or frequents a specified place
LA mall rats

Bat

(of a sports team or player) take the role of hitting rather than throwing the ball
Australia reached 263 for 4 after choosing to bat

Rat

A pad used to give shape and fullness to a woman's hair.

Bat

Hit at (someone or something) with the flat of one's hand
He batted the flies away

Rat

Used to express mild annoyance or irritation.

Bat

Flutter (one's eyelashes or eyelids), typically in a flirtatious manner
She batted her long dark eyelashes at him

Rat

Desert one's party, side, or cause
Many of the clans rallied to his support, others ratted and joined the King's forces

Bat

A stout wooden stick; a cudgel.

Rat

Shape (hair) with a rat.

Bat

A blow, such as one delivered with a stick.

Rat

Any of various long-tailed rodents resembling mice but larger, especially one of the genus Rattus.

Bat

(Baseball) A rounded, often wooden club, wider and heavier at the hitting end and tapering at the handle, used to strike the ball.

Rat

Any of various animals similar to one of these long-tailed rodents.

Bat

A club used in cricket, having a broad, flat-surfaced hitting end and a distinct, narrow handle.

Rat

A despicable person, especially one who betrays or informs upon associates.

Bat

The racket used in various games, such as table tennis or racquets.

Rat

A scab laborer.

Bat

Any of various nocturnal flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, having membranous wings that extend from the forelimbs to the hind limbs or tail and anatomical adaptations for echolocation, by which they navigate and hunt prey.

Rat

A pad of material, typically hair, worn as part of a woman's coiffure to puff out her own hair.

Bat

A binge; a spree.

Rat

(Slang) A person who frequently passes time at a particular place. Often used in combination
A rink rat.

Bat

To hit with or as if with a bat.

Rat

To hunt for or catch rats, especially with the aid of dogs.

Bat

To cause (a run) to be scored while at bat
Batted the winning run in with a double.

Rat

(Slang) To reveal incriminating or embarrassing information about someone, especially to a person in authority
Ratted on his best friend to the police.

Bat

To have (a certain percentage) as a batting average.

Rat

(Slang) To work as a scab laborer.

Bat

(Informal) To discuss or consider at length
Bat an idea around.

Rat

To puff out (the hair) with or as if with a pad of material.

Bat

To use a bat.

Rat

(zoology) A medium-sized rodent belonging to the genus Rattus.

Bat

To have a turn at bat.

Rat

(informal) Any of the numerous members of several rodent families (e.g. voles and mice) that resemble true rats in appearance, usually having a pointy snout, a long, bare tail, and body length greater than about 12 cm, or 5 inches.

Bat

(Slang) To wander about aimlessly.

Rat

(informal) A person who is known for betrayal; a scoundrel; a quisling.
Rat bastard
What a rat, leaving us stranded here!

Bat

To wink or flutter
Bat one's eyelashes.

Rat

(informal) An informant or snitch.

Bat

Any of the flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.

Rat

(informal) A scab: a worker who acts against trade union policies.

Bat

(derogatory) An old woman.

Rat

(slang) A person who routinely spends time at a particular location.
Our teenager has become a mall rat.
He loved hockey and was a devoted rink rat.

Bat

A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.

Rat

A wad of shed hair used as part of a hairstyle.

Bat

A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.
You've been in for ages. Can I have a bat now?

Rat

A roll of material used to puff out the hair, which is turned over it.

Bat

(two-up) The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.

Rat

Vagina.
Get your rat out.

Bat

(mining) Shale or bituminous shale.

Rat

(regional) A scratch or a score.

Bat

A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.

Rat

A place in the sea with rapid currents and crags where a ship is likely to be torn apart in stormy weather.

Bat

A part of a brick with one whole end.

Rat

(usually with “on” or “out”) To betray a person or party, especially by telling their secret to an authority or an enemy; to turn someone in.
He ratted on his coworker.
He is going to rat us out!

Bat

A stroke; a sharp blow.

Rat

To work as a scab, going against trade union policies.

Bat

A stroke of work.

Rat

(regional) To scratch or score.
He ratted a vertical line on his face with a pocket knife.

Bat

(informal) Rate of motion; speed.

Rat

To tear, rip, rend.
Ratted to shreds.

Bat

A spree; a jollification.

Rat

Damn, drat, blast; used in oaths.

Bat

Manner; rate; condition; state of health.

Rat

One of several species of small rodents of the genus Rattus (formerly included in Mus) and allied genera, of the family Muridae, distinguished from mice primarily by being larger. They infest houses, stores, and ships, especially the Norway rat, also called brown rat, (Rattus norvegicus formerly Mus decumanus), the black rat (Rattus rattus formerly Mus rattus), and the roof rat (formerly Mus Alexandrinus, now included in Rattus rattus). These were introduced into America from the Old World. The white rat used most commonly in laboratories is primarily a strain derived from Rattus rattus.

Bat

A rough walking stick.

Rat

A round and tapering mass of hair, or similar material, used by women to support the puffs and rolls of their natural hair.

Bat

(obsolete) A packsaddle.

Rat

One who deserts his party or associates; hence, in the trades, one who works for lower wages than those prescribed by a trades union.

Bat

(transitive) To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.
He batted the ball away with a satisfying thwack.
We batted a few ideas around.

Rat

In English politics, to desert one's party from interested motives; to forsake one's associates for one's own advantage; in the trades, to work for less wages, or on other conditions, than those established by a trades union.
Coleridge . . . incurred the reproach of having ratted, solely by his inability to follow the friends of his early days.

Bat

(intransitive) To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.

Rat

To be an informer (against an associate); to inform (on an associate); to squeal; - used commonly in the phrase to rat on.

Bat

(intransitive) To strike or swipe as though with a bat.
The cat batted at the toy.

Rat

Any of various long-tailed rodents similar to but larger than a mouse

Bat

(transitive) To flutter
Bat one's eyelashes

Rat

Someone who works (or provides workers) during a strike

Bat

To wink.

Rat

One who reveals confidential information in return for money

Bat

To bate or flutter, as a hawk.

Rat

A pad (usually made of hair) worn as part of a woman's coiffure

Bat

To flit quickly from place to place.
I've spent all week batting around the country.

Rat

Desert one's party or group of friends, for example, for one's personal advantage

Bat

A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc.

Rat

Employ scabs or strike breakers in

Bat

In badminton, tennis, and similar games, a racket.

Rat

Take the place of work of someone on strike

Bat

A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.

Rat

Give (hair) the appearance of being fuller by using a rat

Bat

A part of a brick with one whole end; a brickbat.

Rat

Catch rats, especially with dogs

Bat

Shale or bituminous shale.

Rat

Give away information about somebody;
He told on his classmate who had cheated on the exam

Bat

A stroke; a sharp blow.

Bat

A stroke of work.

Bat

Rate of motion; speed.

Bat

A spree; a jollification.

Bat

Manner; rate; condition; state of health.

Bat

One of the Chiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Chiroptera and Vampire.
Silent bats in drowsy clusters cling.

Bat

To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat.

Bat

To use a bat, as in a game of baseball; when used with a numerical postmodifier it indicates a baseball player's performance (as a decimal) at bat; as, he batted .270 in 1993 (i.e. he got safe hits in 27 percent of his official turns at bat).

Bat

To bate or flutter, as a hawk.

Bat

To wink.

Bat

Nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate

Bat

(baseball) a turn batting;
He was at bat when it happened
He got 4 hits in 4 at-bats

Bat

A small racket with a long handle used for playing squash

Bat

A bat used in playing cricket

Bat

A club used for hitting a ball in various games

Bat

Strike with, or as if with a baseball bat;
Bat the ball

Bat

Wink briefly;
Bat one's eyelids

Bat

Have a turn at bat;
Jones bats first, followed by Martinez

Bat

Use a bat;
Who's batting?

Bat

Beat thoroughly in a competition or fight;
We licked the other team on Sunday!

Common Curiosities

Can bats see well at night?

Bats do not rely heavily on vision; instead, they use echolocation to navigate in the dark.

How do rats navigate their environment?

Rats use their keen sense of smell and tactile whiskers to navigate.

Do rats live alone or in groups?

Rats typically live in large social groups or colonies.

What are common habitats for rats?

Rats commonly inhabit urban areas, fields, and woodlands.

What is the primary mode of navigation for bats?

Bats navigate primarily through echolocation.

How do bats contribute to ecosystems?

Bats contribute by pollinating plants and controlling insect populations.

Are rats considered omnivores?

Yes, rats are omnivores, consuming a wide range of food.

What impact do rats have on human environments?

Rats can both benefit by consuming waste and pose risks as pests.

What types of food do bats eat?

Bats mostly eat insects, but some species consume fruit or nectar.

What are some adaptations of rats for survival?

Rats have strong reproductive capabilities and adaptability to various environments.

Why are bats important for agriculture?

Bats help control pests, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

What are the social structures of bats?

Bats can be solitary or live in colonies, depending on the species.

How do bats rest or sleep?

Bats sleep by hanging upside down in roosts during the day.

What is echolocation and which animal uses it?

Echolocation is a method of navigation using sound waves, used by bats.

How do rats communicate?

Rats communicate through a variety of sounds, scents, and tactile signals.

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Author Spotlight

Written by
Urooj Arif
Urooj is a skilled content writer at Ask Difference, known for her exceptional ability to simplify complex topics into engaging and informative content. With a passion for research and a flair for clear, concise writing, she consistently delivers articles that resonate with our diverse audience.
Tayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.

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