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Draw a Bat

A brown and black bat on the side of a red wooden building with a blue pen for scale.
Use this real-life bat for inspiration when creating your drawing at home! How does this bat compare to what you’ll create?

NPS photo

At Devils Tower, bats live in the boulder field and trees at the base of the Tower, as well as the Tower itself. Embrace your inner artist by creating a bat at home. Follow the step-by-step guide to draw your own! Add unique features and characteristics to personalize your artwork!

Step-by-Step Guide

Outline of a bat’s head and body on a white background.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly! Add fur to the body of your bat for it to look more realistic!

NPS photo

Step 1: Start by drawing a circle for the head on top of a long, skinny “U” for the body.

Outline of a bat’s head, body, and part of wings on a white background.
Many type of fruits depend on bats for pollination; without bats we wouldn’t have bananas or avocados.

NPS photo

Step 2: Add three (3) connecting curved lines to each side of the body to create the bottom edge of the wings.

Outline of a bat’s head, body, and wings on a white background.
The speed at which a bat flies depends on the species. How fast can your bat fly?

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Step 3: Draw a curved line to form the top of the wing. Then connect the top and bottom edges of the wing with another curved line.

Outline of a bat’s head, body, and detailed wings on a white background.
Bat wings have a bone structure similar to human hand with flaps of skin in between that create the wings. Do your bat wings look similar to human hands?

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Step 4: Draw two (2) lines on each wing to create the webbing. Connect the point at the top edge of your wing with the points at the bottom edge.
Completed drawing of a bat on a white background.
Bats hunt using natural sonar called echolocation – they emit a high pitched noise that bounces off nearby objects, giving the bat an audible map of the area – including insects!

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Step 5: Add some details by drawing ears, a nose, a mouth, and fangs.

Share Your Bat Drawing

Completed drawing of a bat on a white background.
Most bats species eat insects; helping to control insect populations. Draw an insect for you bat to eat!

NPS photo

Show your final drawing to friends and family.
We'd love to hear from you. With an adult’s permission, email us your bat drawing at: deto_interpretation@nps.gov

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    Part of a series of articles titled Devils Tower National Monument Virtual Junior Ranger Activities .

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    Last updated: May 21, 2020