# Sleeping bats **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 19, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957 "2015-11-19T04:37:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/1 "2015-11-19T04:37:05Z")
Hello Everyone, This might be the dumbest question ever asked here, but here we go. Tonight I was at Disney’s Animal Kingdom and we saw their bat display. I was looking at this one bat (who looked suspiciously like my ex wife) handing upside down sleeping and I got to wondering. Does that bat have to think about holding onto the tree branch while it sleeps or does it have a “parking brake” type mechanism that locks itself to the branch? Meaning does the bat grip the tree branch and forget about it or does it have to be aware and hold it’s grip even while asleep? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/2 "2015-11-19T04:41:47Z")
From [here:](http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.169.179) > [@](#): > > The arrangement and structure of the tendons in a bats hind foot means that hanging does not involve the contraction of any muscles5. A special locking mechanism allows the claws to grip whether the muscles are relaxed or not, so even dead bats remain hanging. ---
**Author:** ![obbn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@obbn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/obbn)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/3 "2015-11-19T04:54:27Z")
Wow, super fat response, thanks I can finally sleep tonight. So, I was right, parking brake! ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/4 "2015-11-19T05:00:42Z")
Perching birds (passerines) also have a special mechanism that makes their feet close tightly when they put weight down on their legs so they don’t fall off the perch even when they’re asleep. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/5 "2015-11-19T06:11:50Z")
> [@obbn](#): > > . . . I can finally sleep tonight. And you don’t have to worry about losing your grip and falling to the floor. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_Hadfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7c8e57/32.png) [@Paul\_Hadfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_Hadfield)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/6 "2015-12-25T20:09:44Z")
Hi My name is Paul Hadfield I am new to this site I also love bats and what they do I would like to know any peeps think that any kind of bats are becoming instinct for my own personal advice Thank you for having the time to read this thread! I do count this message as a serious and real issue before it is to late like most species we have lost lately due to been outlived by other animals . does anyone have any real evidence not sayting nature programs are wrong these days ? ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/7 "2015-12-25T23:27:46Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > From [here:](http://www.nhc.ed.ac.uk/index.php?page=493.169.179) Wow, really? Interesting weird fact. ETA: which brings up some follow up questions; Do bats die in there sleep? Which evolved first, sleeping upside down or the hanging lock? . ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 25, 2015, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sleeping-bats/737957/8 "2015-12-25T23:34:07Z")
“Their”, of course…