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More About Bats ...
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Bats are flying mammals in the order Chiroptera with forelimbs developed as wings. Other mammals, such as flying squirrels or gliding phalangers, can glide limited distances, but only bats are capable of true flight. The name Chiroptera can be translated as Hand Wing, as the structure of the open wing is very similar to an outspread human hand, covered in a membrane.
Though the vast majority of bats are insectivorous, a significant number from both suborders, Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera (see below), have developed the ability to feed on fruits and their juices. Some of the smaller species are important pollinators of some tropical flowers. Indeed, many tropical plants are now found to be totally dependent on them, not just as pollinators, but eating the resulting fruits and so spreading their seeds. In addition, some bats prey on vertebrates. These bats include the Leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) of central and South America, and the allied family Noctilionidae (Bulldog bats) that feed on fish.
There are two suborders of bats:
Megachiroptera (megabats or fruit bats)
Microchiroptera (microbats, echolocating bats or insectivorous bats)
Megabats eat fruit, while microbats eat mainly insects, and often rely on echolocation for navigation and finding prey. A handful of species, the vampire bats, feed on blood.
It was once believed that megabats and microbats developed independently, and that the shared characteristics were the result of convergent evolution. After numerous genetic analyses it has been established that both groups have a common flying ancestor.
Little is known about the evolution of bats, since their small, delicate skeletons do not fossilize well. The oldest known bat fossils are Icaronycteris, Archaeonycteris, Palaeochiropteryx and Hassianycteris from the early Eocene (about 50 million years ago), but they were already very similar to modern microbats.
Bats are usually grouped with the tree shrews (Scandentia), colugos (Dermoptera), and the primates in superorder Archonta.
All bats are active at night or at twilight, so the eyes of most species are poorly developed. Their senses of smell and hearing, however, are excellent. By emitting high-pitched sounds and listening to the echoes, the microbats locate prey and other nearby objects. This is the process of echolocation, a skill they share with dolphins and whales.
The teeth resemble those of the insectivores. They are very sharp in order to bite through the chitin armour of insects or the skin of fruits.
A newborn bat can cling to the fur of the mother and be transported, although they soon grow too large for this. It would be difficult for an adult bat to carry more than one young, so normally only one young is born. Bats will often form nursery roosts, with many females giving birth in the same area, be it a cave, a tree hole, or a cavity in a building. Two mammary glands are situated between the chest and the shoulders. Only the mother cares for the young, and there is no continuous partnership.
Small bats are sometimes preyed upon by owls and falcons. Generally there are few animals able to hunt a bat. In Asia there is a bird, the bat hawk, which specializes in hunting bats. The domestic cat is a regular predator in urban areas; they may catch bats as they enter or leave a roost, or on the ground. Bats will land on the ground for feeding, in bad weather, or due to accidents while learning to fly.
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Taxonmony
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Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family:
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Source: Wikipedia Read more about Bats
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INFO LINKS
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Leaf-nosed bat
Nashville Zoo
the site includes information on scientific division of Bats, specific characteristics of leaf-nosed bats, etc. Read More
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Rodrigues Fruit Bat
The Wild Ones
Appearance, Range, Biome, Diet, Survival, Conservation etc. Read More
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Mexican Free-Tail Bat
The Wild Ones
Find information on echolocation. Tons of additional links Read More
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Vampire Bat
The Wild Ones
Find out why it is called a "Vampire" Read More
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Bat
Canadian Wildlife Services
"In many ways bats are typical mammals: they are warm-blooded and they give birth to live young and suckle them". Site contains inforjmation on lifehistory, food habits, parasites and disease, distribution, relatives and nesting behavior of Bats. Good site or school kids Read More
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Fruit Bat
The Wild Ones
"The largest of bats, and one of the most important to humans'. Find out why these bats are important to humans? General Information on Fruit Bats: Adaptation, Reproduction, Behavior, Habitat, Predators and Threats to Survival Read More
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Yellow-winged Bat
Kenya Beasts
Pictures of Yellow-winged Bat Read More
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Yellow-winged Fruit Bat
Kenya Beasts
Pictures of Yellow-winged Fruit Bat Read More
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Barbastelle bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Barbastelle bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Common pipistrelle
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
"Pipistrelles are the smallest and commonest bat in the UK". Information on life span, statistics, distribution, habitat, etc.
Read More
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Greater horseshoe bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Greater horseshoe bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Grey long-eared bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Grey long-eared bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Leisler's bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Leisler's bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Lesser horseshoe bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Lesser horseshoe bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Nathusius's pipistrelle
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Nathusius's pipistrelle: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Natterer's bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Natterer's bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Noctule bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Noctule bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Serotine bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Serotine bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Soprano pipistrelle
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Soprano pipistrelle: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Whiskered bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Whiskered bat: Facts and Pictures Read More
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Vampire Bat
Sedgwick County Zoo
Vampire Bat fact sheet Read More
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Greater noctule bat
BBC News
Bats eat flying birds, say scientists Read More
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fruit bat
BBCi
Find out why fruit bats like to hang upside down? " Like most bats, he likes to spend most of his time hanging around upside down, but why?". Read More
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Common Vampire Bat
National Geographic
Common Vampire Bat fact sheet and pictures; video clip; audio clip Read More
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Bat
Searworld.Org
Interesting site to get some unique and fast facts about bats. "Bats are the only flying mammals and comprise the second largest order of mammals in the world". Read More
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Vampire Bat
National Geographic - Creature Feature Archive
Vampire Bat fun facts. "Like the legendary monster from which they get their name, these small mammals drink the blood of other animals for survival". Find out how this bat got its name? Read More
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Bechstein's bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Bechstein's bat: Facts and Pictures. "In Britain, Bechstein's bats are mainly found in Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire". Read More
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Brandt's bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Information on life span, statistics, distribution, habitat, diet, behavior, etc."Brandt's bats are very closely related to whiskered bats, and were only recognised as being of a separate species in 1970". Read More
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Brown long-eared bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
Information on life span, statistics, distribution, habitat, diet, behavior, etc. "As their name suggests, long-eared bats have strikingly large ears". Read More
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Daubenton's bat
BBC Nature: Wildfacts
"This is a small species, with a pinkish-brown face". Information on life span, descritpion, distribution, diet, behavior, etc. Read More
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Giant Indian Fruit Bat
Sedgwick County Zoo
Categorized information. "These large bats have dark brown bodies with black wings. The males have a light yellow color on the back of the neck and shoulders. They have prominent claws". Read More
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Bat
African Wildlife Foundation
Detailed fact sheet Read More
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Bat
Bat Conservation International
Features article on a ecotour, cruising the Amazon ane learning about the region's bats Read More
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Bat
Pelotes Island Nature Preserve
"There are over 900 kinds of bats". Narrative Read More
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Brown Bat
The Longpoint schoolhouse
"This small brown bat is very common over much of central North America". Brief Description Read More
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Bat
Mrs. Rutkowski's Class
Interesting Narrative and pictures. "Bats come in two distinct types. Megabats (megachiroptera) and Microbats (microchiroptera". Read More
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