Why Are These Baby Bats Swaddled Up Like Burritos?

The Australian Bat Clinic has some adorable new additions: a group of baby flying fox bats.

The bats were orphaned or separated from their mothers during a recent heat wave.

Temperatures climbed to 111 degrees in some parts of the country, and because bats are very sensitive to extreme heat, many died, leaving their young behind. Often, baby bats will remain attached to their mother's body, even after she had died.

Luckily, more than 100 of the bats are now in the care of wildlife rehabilitators, who are providing them with round-the-clock care at the bat clinic.

"When baby bats first enter rehabilitation, it can be traumatizing for them as they have just been separated from their mothers to which they have formed strong bonds," the clinic said in a statement. "Bat carers have to ensure that the baby bats not only are well fed, but that they are nurtured and feel safe in their temporary new home."

To care for the baby bats, volunteers stroke them, simulating how a mother would groom her young.

They also give them rubber teats to chew on, taking the place of their mother's nipple, and they bottle-feed them with formula.

The young bats are also swaddled in tiny blankets to keep them warm and help them feel secure.

"Wrapping them up is to simply make them feel secure, and they tend to fall asleep faster after being bottle fed," Adam Cox of the bat clinic told The Huffington Post. "They are similar to human babies in that they will have a lot of naps and feed times."

For now the baby bats are receiving constant care from clinic staff, but when they're old enough, they'll be released back into the wild.

Watch a volunteer care for a few of the clinic's baby bats in the adorable video below.