Animals, Animals and More Animals: Bats - Order Chiroptera Bats - Order Chiroptera All bats belong to the order Chiroptera (hand-winged). There are 19 families, 178 genera and 926 species in the order Chiroptera, making it the the second largest mammalian order, which makes up around 20% of all known living mammal species.The term Chitoptera comes from two Greek words, "chiro", meaning "hand" and "ptera" meaning wing. Order Rodentia (rodents) is the most speciose group of mammals. The order Chiroptera is divided into two main groups: megachiroptera, the large fruit eating bats (also known as "flying foxes" or "megabats") and the smaller microchiroptera ("microbats") that eat insects, blood, fish, lizards, birds and nectar. Microbats live worldwide, except for Antarctica and most of the arctic region. Most of the world's bats are microbats. Megabats include nearly 200 species and live in tropical regions.

Megachiroptera (Megabats) Megabats consists of one family (Pteropodidae) and about 166 species. Megabats are also called fruit bats because they all feed primarily on plant material: fruit, nectar or pollen. The flower-eaters are usually small and have long pointed heads, long tongues, and the ability to hover and fly slowly. Some megabats will supplement their diets with insects. Megabats are also called flying foxes because they have big eyes for finding food and they have a face that looks somewhat like a fox. Microchiroptera (Microbats) Microbats consists of the remaining 18 families (around 759 species). Most of the species are are insectivorous. Fewer than 1% are carnivorous (feeding on rodents, other bats, reptiles, birds, amphibians, and even fish). And, three species in the family Phyllostomidae, subfamily Desmodontinae (vampire bat) feed on nothing but the blood of other vertebrates. The vampire bat is the only mammal that survives solely on the blood of animals (hematophagy).

All United States bats (except for three flower-eating species that migrate from Mexico), and 70 percent of the bat species worldwide, feed almost exclusively on insects. Insectivore bats forage near freshwater streams, lakes and ponds, preying on insects as they emerge from the water. They can eat more than 50% of their body weight in insects each night. Nursing females may eat their entire body weight each night-as many as 4,500 or more small insects, including insects which are agricultural pests or garden pests. Bats are the only major predators of night-flying insects. Differences between Megabats and Microbats Here are some of the key differences between megabats and microbats: Megabats are found only in the Old World tropics. Microbats are much more broadly distributed. Microbats use highly sophisticated echolocation for navigation and hunting. Megabats primarily using their eyes for navigation and finding food. The Egyptian fruit bat (Rousettus egyptiacus) is an exception. it uses a simple form of echolocation that is nowhere near as sophisticated as the echolocation microbats use.

Microbats lack the claw at the second toe of the forelimb. The ears of microbats don't form a closed ring, but the edges are separated from each other at the base of the ear. Microbats lack the underfur; they have only guard hairs or are naked. Megabats regulate their body temperature within a tight range of temperatures and none hibernates. The body temperature of microbats can change quite a bit, and some hibernate. Why Bats are Nocturnal Bats are mainly active at night. They leave their roosts just after sunset and come back before day break. Most flying insects fly at night. So, other than spiders, bats have no competition for food. Night time protects the bats agains predators. Other than an occasional owl or snake, most predators can't catch a bat at night. Bats have a thin wing membrane, which would make flying during the heat of the day hazardous due to excessive absorption of heat. This could cause the bat to overheat and possibly get dehydrated. The cooler night air protects the bat from the heat and helps it maintain its body temperature and moisture.

Order Chiroptera The Mammals of Texas - Online Edition ORDER CHIROPTERA: BATS Chiroptera, "hand wing," alludes to the great elongation of the fingers that support the flying membrane. Among mammals, bats are unique in that they have true powers of flight; other mammals, such as flying squirrels, volplane or glide, always from a higher to a lower elevation. Bats as a group are crepuscular or nocturnal; their eyes are small and inefficient, but their ears are usually well developed. Experiments suggest that the middle and inner ear and high-frequency vocals are highly important in guiding bats in flight and in their aerial feeding activities. Some bats hibernate in winter; others migrate seasonally. In the temperate regions, the young are born in late spring; in the tropics there appears to be no definite breeding season  young bats may be found in every month of the year. Most bats feed on insects, but some kinds feed regularly on fruits, nectar, or fish, and some, the vampire bats, are peculiarly adapted to feed on blood. Bats are nearly worldwide in distribution. The tropical regions are best suited for them, and there the greatest variety is found.

The temperate regions are inhabited by fewer species; no bats have been recorded in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. Thirty-two species of bats occur in Texas. In addition to the 32 species of bats living in Texas today, four others are known from fossil skeletal remains. One of these, Myotis rectidentis, is extinct, but the other three  Myotis evotis, Macrotus californicus, and Desmodus rotundus  still occur in other parts of the continent. The range of Myotis evotis includes almost all of the western United States from the Great Plains westward; the leaf-nosed bat Macrotus occupies a range from the southern parts of Arizona, Nevada, and California southward into Mexico; and Desmodus, the common vampire, occurs in Mexico and has been found recently about 200 km south of the Texas border near Jimenez, Tamaulipas. Intensive search may reveal the presence of both Macrotus and Desmodus in Texas. Family Mormoopidae (mormoopid bats) KEY TO THE BATS OF TEXAS 1.

Distinct, upwardly and freely projecting, triangular-shaped nose leaf at end of elongated snout: 2 Nose leaf absent, indistinct, or modified as lateral ridges or low mound-like structure; snout normal: 3 2. Tail evident, projecting about 10 mm from dorsal side of interfemoral membrane; distance from eye to nose about twice distance from eye to ear; forearm less than 48 mm: Choeronycteris mexicana (Mexican long-tongued bat). Tail not evident; eye about midway between nose and ear; forearm more than 48 mm: Leptonycteris nivalis (Mexican long-nosed bat). 3. Thumb longer than 10 mm; hair straight, lying smoothly, glossy tipped: Diphylla ecaudata (hairy-legged vampire). Thumb less than 10 mm; hair slightly wooly, pelage lax, not usually lying smoothly, not glossy tipped: 4 4. Prominent grooves and flaps on chin; tail protruding from dorsal surface of interfemoral membrane: Mormoops megalophylla (ghost-faced bat).

No notable grooves or flaps on chin; lumps above nose or wrinkled lips possible, most faces lacking even these characteristics; tail extending to or beyond the edge of the interfemoral membrane: 5 5. Tail extending conspicuously beyond free edge of interfemoral membrane: 6 Tail extending to free edge of interfemoral membrane: 9 6. Forearm more than 70 mm; upper lips without deep vertical grooves: Eumops perotis (western mastiff bat). Forearm less than 70 mm; upper lips with deep vertical grooves: 7 7. Forearm less than 52 mm: 8 Forearm more than 52 mm (58-64): Nyctinomops macrotis (big free-tailed bat). 8. Ears not united at base; second phalanx of fourth finger more than 5 mm: Tadarida brasiliensis (Brazilian free-tailed bat). Ears joined at base; second phalanx of fourth finger less than 5 mm: Nyctinomops femorosacca (pocketed free-tailed bat). 9.

Ears proportionally large, more than 25 mm from notch to tip: 10 Ears of normal size, less than 25 mm from notch to tip: 13 10. Color black with three large white spots on back, one just behind each shoulder, the other at the base of the tail: Euderma maculatum (spotted bat). Color variable, but not black; no white spots on back: 11 11. Dorsal color pale yellow; no distinctive glands evident on each side of the nose. Antrozous pallidus (pallid bat). Dorsal color light brown to gray; distinctive glands (large bumps) evident on each side of the nose: 12 12. Hairs on belly with white tips; strong contrast in color between the basal portions and tips of hairs on both back and belly; presence of long hairs projecting beyond the toes; known from eastern one-third of state: Plecotus rafinesquii (Rafinesques big-eared bat).

Hairs on belly with pinkish buff tips; little contrast in color between basal portions and tips of hairs on both back and belly; absence of long hairs projecting beyond the toes; known from western half of state: Plecotus townsendii (Townsends big-eared bat). 13. At least the anterior half of the dorsal surface of the interfemoral membrane well furred: 14 Dorsal surface of interfemoral membrane naked, scantily haired, or at most lightly furred on the anterior third: 20 14. Color of hair black, with many of the hairs distinctly silver-tipped: Lasionycteris noctivagans (silver-haired bat). Color various, but never uniformly black: 15 15. Color reddish, brownish, or grayish (not yellowish): 17 16. Total length more than 120 mm: Lasiurus intermedius (northern yellow bat). Total length less than 120 mm: Lasiurus ega (southern yellow bat). 17.

Forearm more than 45 mm; color wood brown heavily frosted with white: Lasiurus cinereus (hoary bat). Forearm less than 45 mm; upper parts reddish or mahogany: 18 18. Upper parts brick red to rusty red, frequently washed with white: 19 Upper parts mahogany brown washed with white: Lasiurus seminolus (Seminole bat). 19. Color reddish with frosted appearance resulting from white-tipped hairs; interfemoral membrane fully haired: Lasiurus borealis (eastern red bat). Color rusty-red to brownish without frosted appearance; posterior one-third of interfemoral membrane bare or only scantily haired: Lasiurus blossevillii (western red bat). 20. Tragus (projection within ear) short, blunt, and curved: 21 Tragus long, pointed, and straight: 23 21. Forearm more than 40 mm: Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat). Forearm less than 40 mm: 22 22.

Forearm more than 32 mm; interfemoral membrane naked; color brown: Nycticeius humeralis (evening bat). Forearm less than 32 mm; interfemoral membrane lightly furred on anterior third of dorsal surface; color drab to smoke gray: Pipistrellus hesperus (western pipistrelle). 23. Dorsal fur tricolored when parted (black at base, wide band of light yellowish-brown in middle, tipped with slightly darker contrasting color); leading edge of wing membrane noticeably paler than rest of membrane: Pipistrellus subflavus (eastern pipistrelle). Dorsal fur bicolored or unicolored with no light band in the middle; leading edge of wing same color as other parts of membrane: 24 24. Calcar with well-marked keel: 25 Calcar without well-marked keel: 27 25. Forearm more than 36 mm; foot more than 8 mm long; underside of wing furred to elbow; pelage dark brown: Myotis volans (long-legged myotis).

Forearm less than 36 mm; foot less than 8 mm long; underside of wing not furred to elbow; pelage light brown to buff brown: 26 26. Hairs on back with dull reddish-brown tips; black mask not noticeable; thumb less than 4 mm long; naked part of snout about as long as the width of the nostrils when viewed from above: Myotis californicus (California myotis). Fur on back with long, glossy, brownish tips; black mask usually noticeable; thumb less than 4 mm long; naked part of snout approximately 1.5 times the width of the nostrils: Myotis ciliolabrum (western small-footed myotis). 27. Forearm more than 40 mm: 28 Forearm usually less than 40 mm: 29 28. Conspicuous fringe of stiff hairs on free edge of interfemoral membrane: Myotis thysanodes (fringed myotis). No conspicuous fringe of stiff hairs on free edge of interfemoral membrane: Myotis velifer (cave myotis). 29.

Chiroptera Chiroptera Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window This tree diagram shows the relationships between several groups of organisms. The root of the current tree connects the organisms featured in this tree to their containing group and the rest of the Tree of Life. The basal branching point in the tree represents the ancestor of the other groups in the tree. This ancestor diversified over time into several descendent subgroups, which are represented as internal nodes and terminal taxa to the right. You can click on the root to travel down the Tree of Life all the way to the root of all Life, and you can click on the names of descendent subgroups to travel up the Tree of Life all the way to individual species. For more information on ToL tree formatting, please see Interpreting the Tree or Classification . To learn more about phylogenetic trees, please visit our Phylogenetic Biology pages. close box Containing group: Eutheria Introduction The clade Chiroptera includes two extant clades, Megachiroptera (Old World Fruit Bats) and Microchiroptera (echolocating bats).

In addition, Chiroptera includes at least four extinct clades that are most closely related to Microchiroptera. There are over nine hundred extant species of bats (Koopman, 1993). Bats vary greatly in size. The smallest bat, Craseonycteris thonglongyai (Microchiroptera), weighs less than 2 g and has a wingspan of 12-13 cm, while the largest bats, those of the genus Pteropus (Megachiroptera), weigh up to 1.5 kg and may have a wing span over 2m (Fenton, 1992). Bats are unique among mammals as they are the only group to have evolved true powered flight. Some other mammals such as "flying" squirrels and "flying" lemurs can glide through the air for long distances, but they are not capable of sustained flight. In contrast, bats can propel themselves with their wings, gaining and loosing altitude and flying for long periods. Bats are nocturnal and usually spend the daylight hours roosting in caves, rock crevices, trees, or manmade structures such as houses and/or bridges.

Some bats are solitary, while others are found in colonies that may include over a million individuals. Activity begins around dusk, when bats leave the day roost and start feeding. The clade Chiroptera includes species with very diverse food preferences, including bats that eat either meat, insects, fish, fruit, nectar, or a variety of food types. Only three species of bats actually feed on blood Desmodontinae). Many bats remain at their feeding sites until just before dawn when they return to the day roost. Classification outlines the higher-level classifications within Chiroptera. Characteristics Unique Characteristics One unique feature of bats is their modified forelimbs, which support a wing membrane (patagium). The basic elements of the mammalian limb are present in bats, although the relative sizes of most bones and muscles differ from those of nonflying mammals. The most elongated parts of the limb are those of the hand (metacarpal bones) and fingers (phalanges). The primary functions of these bones in bats is to provide support for the patagium and control its movements. The patagium stretches between the fingers and attaches to the side or back of the bat and the lower leg.

Part of the membrane extends between the hindlimbs. Numerous blood vessels and nerves are present throughout the wing membrane. Bats also have five unique muscles present in the patagium, and use additional muscles in the chest and back to move the wings up and down. The most obvious difference between bird wings and those of bats is that bird wings are made of feathers, not a skin membrane. Birds have an elongated arm, but do not have elongated fingers like bats. Additionally, the muscles used in both the upstroke and downstroke are found in the chest of birds, while the upstroke muscles are on the back in bats (Fenton, 1983). The orientation of the hindlimb is also unique to bats. The hip joint is rotated 90ï¿½ so that the legs project sideways and the knee faces almost backwards. Due in part to the rotation of the hindlimb, the walking motion of bats differs from other tetrapods, often appearing awkward. The hindlimb is designed to support the patagium in flight and allow the bat to roost hanging from its hindlimbs.

Most bats have a tendon system in the toes that locks the claws in place so the bat can hang upside down even when asleep. Bats have other unique characteristics including many morphological synapomorphies . General Characteristics The body of a bat is ventrally compressed with a short neck region. The bones tend to be slender and light-weight. The majority of the body weight is concentrated in the chest region due to the large flight muscles. The overall shape of the head varies more in bats than within most other groups of mammals. Some bats have very elongated muzzles while others have broad, short faces. There is a correlation between the shape of the head and the type of food eaten. For example, most nectar feeders have long, narrow muzzles that are good for reaching into flowers, while many fruit eaters have short, broad faces good for biting rounded fruits (Hill and Smith, 1984). The ears range from small and round to large and pointed, and often have a cartilaginous fold (tragus) present at the notch of the ear. There is additional variation in the nasal and lip regions of bats. Some bats have complex noseleafs, folds, or wrinkles on their muzzles.

The function of facial ornamentation is not well understood, although it may effect the emission of echolocation calls in some taxa (Fenton, 1992). A major misconception about bats is that they are blind. This idea originated from the fact that bats are able to successfully maneuver in the dark and often have small eyes. While some bats do have very small eyes (most Microchiroptera ) many have large and complex eyes (Megachiroptera). Experiments on several species of bats have shown that they are able to distinguish patterns even at low light levels (Hill and Smith, 1984). Bats usually have black or brown fur, although the fur can also be gray, white, red, or orange. In some species there are stripes on the face or down the back, or patches of white on the face or above the shoulder. The length of the fur also varies among species from short and dense to long and fluffy. The wing membrane is usually dark in color, although it may have white on the tips or be a lighter color around the bones in the membrane. A few bats have white or pale yellow wings. There are also little hairs on the membrane itself.

These hairs can be the color of the wing or the same color as the body. Bat Monophyly Until the 1970s, most evolutionary biologists assumed that bats form a monophyletic group. Recently, however, several authors have questioned monophyly of Chiroptera (Jones and Genoways, 1970; Smith, 1976, 1980; Smith and Madkour, 1980; Hill and Smith, 1984; Pettigrew, 1986, 1991a, 1991b; Pettigrew and Jamieson, 1987; Pettigrew et al., 1989) creating what has become known as the “bat monophyly controversy”. Proponents of the hypothesis that bats are diphyletic pointed out that many similarities between Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera involve the flight mechanism.

It is therefore possible that convergent evolution of aerial locomotion, rather than shared ancestry, might account for the similarities found between megachiropteran and microchiropteran bats (Jones and Genoways, 1970). The bat monophyly hypothesis states the Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera are each others closest relatives in an evolutionary sense (i.e., they form a clade). If this is true, then their shared characteristics, including the ability to fly, would have been present in their most recent common ancestor (Simmons, 1994; 1995). It follows from this that there was only one origin of powered flight in mammals. In contrast, the diphyly hypothesis states that megachiropteran and microchiropteran bats do not form a monophyletic group, instead having evolved independently from two different groups of non-flying mammals.

It has been suggested that Megachiroptera is more closely related to Dermoptera and Primates than to Microchiroptera (Smith and Madkour, 1980; Pettigrew, 1986, 1991a, b, 1995; Pettigrew and Jamieson, 1987; Pettigrew et. al., 1989). In this case, the characteristics common to both groups of bats either evolved as a result of convergent evolution or are simply the result of retention of primitive features. If bats are diphyletic, the ability to fly must have evolved once in Megachiroptera and again in Microchiroptera. There have been numerous studies using biochemical, molecular, and/or morphological data to analyze the relationship between Megachiroptera, Microchiroptera and other taxa. Diphyly has only been supported in two data sets: features of the nervous system (Pettigrew, 1986, 1991a, 1991b; Pettigrew et.

al., 1989; Johnson and Kirsch, 1993) and of the penis (Smith and Madkour, 1980). In contrast, monophyly has been supported in studies examining a large and diverse set of morphological features, including those of the nervous and reproductive systems (Luckett, 1980a, 1993; Wible and Novacek, 1988; Kovtun, 1989; Thewissen and Babcock, 1991, 1993; Kay et.

al., 1992; Novacek, 1992, 1994; Beard, 1993; Simmons, 1993a, 1994, 1995; Wible and Martin, 1993; Simmons and Quinn, 1994, Miyamoto, 1996), DNA-DNA hybridization data (Kirsch et al., 1995; Hutcheon and Kirsch, 1996; Kirsch, 1996), and DNA nucleotide sequence data from mitochondrial and nuclear genes (Adkins and Honeycutt, 1991, 1993, 1994; Mindell et al., 1991; Ammerman and Hillis, 1992; Bailey at al., 1992; Stanhope et al., 1992, 1993, 1996; Honeycutt and Adkins, 1993; Knight and Mindell, 1993; Novacek, 1994, Allard et al., 

1996; Miyamoto, 1996; Porter et al., 1996).

Because the vast majority of available data strongly support a sister-group relationship between Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera, bat monophyly is now regarded as a very strongly supported hypothesis. Discussion of Phylogenetic Relationships The fossil record of bats extends back at least to the early Eocene, and chiropteran fossils are known from all continents except Antarctica. Icaronycteris, Archaeonycteris, Hassianycteris, and Palaeochiropteryx, unlike most other fossil bats, have not been referred to any extant family or superfamily. These Eocene taxa are known from exceptionally well-preserved fossils, and they have long formed a basis for reconstructing the early evolutionary history of Chiroptera (see review in Simmons and Geisler, 1998). Smith (1977) suggested that these taxa represent an extinct clade of early microchiropterans ("Palaeochiropterygoidea"). In contrast, Van Valen (1979) argued that these fossil forms are representatives of a primitive grade ancestral to both Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera ("Eochiroptera").

Novacek (1987) reanalyzed morphology of Icaronycteris and Palaeochiropterx and concluded that they are more closely related to Microchroptera than to Megachiroptera. Most recently, Simmons and Geisler (1998) found that Icaronycteris, Archaeonycteris, Hassianycteris, and Palaeochiropteryx represent a series of consecutive sister-taxa to extant microchiropteran bats. Geographic Distribution Click on an image to view larger version & data in a new window The geographical distribution of bats is shown in red. Distribution from Hill and Smith (1984). Other Names for Chiroptera Bats References Adkins, R. M., & R. L. Honeycutt. 1991. Molecular phylogeny of the superorder Archonta. Proceedings of the National Academy of Science U.S.A. 88: 10317-10321. Adkins, R. M., & R. L. Honeycutt. 1993. A molecular examination of archontan and chiropteran monophyly.

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Carter (eds.), Biology of bats of the New World family Phyllostomatidae, part I, pp. 49-69. Special Publ. The Museum, Texas Tech Univ., vol. 10. Lubbock: Texas Tech Univ. Smith, J. D. 1980. Chiropteran phylogenetics: introduction. In D. E. Wilson and A. L. Gardner (eds.), Proceedings Fifth International Bat Research Conference, pp. 233-244. Lubbock: Texas Tech Press. Smith, J. D., & G. Madkour. 1980. Penial morphology and the question of chiropteran phylogeny. In D. E. Wilson and A. L. Gardner (eds.), Proceedings Fifth International Bat Research Conference, pp. 347-365. Lubbock: Texas Tech Press. Stanhope, M. J., W. J. Bailey, J. Czelusniak, M. Goodman, J.-S. Si, J. Nickerson, J. G. Sgouros, G. A. M. Singer, & T. K.

Kleinschimidt. 1993. A molecular view of primate supraordinal relationships from the analysis of both nucleotide and amino acid sequences. In R. D. E. MacPhee (ed.), Primates and their relatives in phylogenetic perspective, pp. 251-292. Adv. Primatol. Ser. New York: Plenum. Stanhope, M. J., J. Czelusniak, J.-S. Si, J. Nickerson, & M. Goodman. 1992. A molecular perspective on mammalian evolution from the gene encoding interphotoreceptor retinoid binding protein, with convincing evidence for bat monophyly. Molecular Phylogenetic Evolution 1: 148-160. Stanhope, M. J., M. R. Smith, V. G. Waddell, C. A. Porter, M. S. Thewissen, J. G. M., & S. K. Babcock. 1991. Distinctive cranial and cervical innervation of wing muscles: new evidence for bat monophyly.

Science 251: 934-936. Thewissen, J. G. M., & S. K. Babcock. 1993. The implications of the propatagial muscles of flying and gliding mammals for archontan systematics. In R. D. E. MacPhee (ed.), Primates and their relatives in phylogenetic perspective, pp. 91-109. Advanced Primatology Series. New York: Plenum. Wible, J. R., & J. R. Martin. 1993.Ontogeny of the typmanic floor and roof in archontans. In R. D. E. MacPhee (ed.), Primates and their relatives in phylogenetic perspective, pp. 111-148. Advanced Primatology Series. New York: Plenum. Wible, J. R., & M. J. Novacek. 1988. Cranial evidence for the monophyletic origin of bats. American Museum Novitates 2911: 19 pp. Wilson, D. E. 1997. Bats in Question.

Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press. Information on the Internet ALL ABOUT BATS Website: #1 BAT Info Site Online! 2 Chamber Bat House $24.95 Place our Bat Houses near your home to attract hungry pest-eating bats. Bats consume mosquitoes, grasshoppers, moths, flies, crickets, gnats and even fruit flies. A single brown bat can eat up to 600 mosquitoes in one hour! Our bat house is 5"x6"x12" and has 3 chambers. The interior chamber surfaces are deeply grooved wood, creating an excellent clinging surface for roosting bats. Holds up to 125 bats. Animals > Bats > All About Bats BATS Often mistaken for birds and as with most mysterious creatures, associated with a lot of misconceptions, superstition and of course, evil, bats are ordinary mammals made extraordinary by being the only mammal capable of true flight. Bats, also known as flying foxes, belong to the Chiroptera order, the second largest group of mammals. Around 1100 species bats have been reported worldwide and since they prefer warm climate, they don’t normally make their homes north or south of the sub-tropics.

First, let’s deal with the myths…bats are not bad…although we just called them Bad Airborne Tropical Species. They are just one of Nature’s best creations yet. Amazing, mysterious and in so many ways the most efficient survivor in the world’s ecosystems. Their teeth are not different from that of a cat…or a dog, or our own…best suited to their diet. You might wonder why they have such sharp teeth when they eat on fruit…but ask yourself this…were you able to eat an apple by yourself when you were 2 years old? No…because your jaws did not have the strength to crush the apple to chew on them. Instead if you had sharp teeth, you would easily be able to take a bite even if you were as small as a bat. Thirdly, bats being associated with the devil and all that is nothing but rubbish…they are just one of the most beautiful and intriguing and by and far, the most misunderstood animals that belong to planet Earth. So what are bats? Mammals or Birds Good question…and a question that every single child and adult would ask if they have not attended, or paid attention in high school.

Well, they fly, so they should be birds…but they give birth to their young and suckle them with their mammary glands…so they should be mammals right? True. But there are other mammals like the Duck Billed Platypus which lay eggs – Oviparous Mammals. So how do we really classify bats as mammals? Mammals are identified not merely by the presence of mammary glands or by being Viviparous or animals that give birth to their offspring. They are identified by External Ears or Pinnae. If you notice, Fishes or Pisces, have the Lateral Line Sense Organ that senses vibration in the water. Amphibians have the Tympanic membrane that senses sound. Reptiles, either have the tympanic membrane or like snakes , completely do away with hearing and focus on ground vibrations. In birds or Aves, the tympanic membrane is located in a recess with a tube that connects it to the surface of their body.

However, Mammals and all of them have pronounced external ears called Pinnae Hair on the body: Yes, Bats have hair and it is nothing like the furry legs of the tarantula or any other non-mammalian species that may have hair on their legs. This is a typical characteristic of all mammals, which distinguishes the Bat from its avian counterparts The presence of mammary glands: All mammals have a specially modified set of sweat glands called mammary glands that in the females, produce milk that the offspring nurse on before they are weaned to their normal diet. Bats being mammals have these glands and they suckle their young ones as humans and other mammals do. They need their habitat and they need warm climates to survive and many of the bat species are vulnerable to extinction due to deforestation, habitat loss, and excessive use of insecticides. Providing bats with bat houses can help to control the population decline by arranging areas for them to roost, hibernate and raise their young pups. Wouldn’t you be proud to say you saved 1 family of bats by building a small bat house in your back yard? After all they are such amazing animals and it would be a shame to lose them.

Our articles are free for you to copy and distribute. Make sure to give credit for the article. Class Mammalia - Animal Kingdom Animal Kingdom CLASS MAMMALIA - includes all animals with mammary glands … Mammals are members of class Mammalia, air-breathing vertebrate animals characterized by the possession of endothermy , hair , three middle ear bones , and mammary glands functional in mothers with young. Most mammals also possess sweat glands and specialized teeth . The largest group of mammals, the placentals , have a placenta which feeds the offspring during gestation. The mammalian brain, with its characteristic neocortex , regulates endothermic and circulatory systems , the latter featuring red blood cells lacking nuclei and a four-chambered heart . Mammals range in size from the 30–40 millimeter (1- to 1.5-inch) bumblebee bat to the 33-meter (108-foot) blue whale . The word " mammal " is modern, from the scientific name Mammalia coined by Carl Linnaeus in 1758, derived from the Latin mamma ("teat, pap").

All female mammals nurse their young with milk, which is secreted from special glands , the mammary glands . M L S Except for the five species of monotremes (which lay eggs), all living mammals give birth to live young. Most mammals, including the six most species-rich orders, belong to the placental group. The three largest orders, in descending order, are Rodentia ( mice , rats , porcupines , beavers , capybaras , and other gnawing mammals), Chiroptera (bats), and Soricomorpha ( shrews , moles and solenodons ). The next three largest orders, depending on the classification scheme used, are the primates , to which the human species belongs, the Cetartiodactyla (including the even-toed hoofed mammals and the whales ), and the Carnivora ( cats , dogs , weasels , bears , seals , and their relatives). Quick Facts on Mammals 1. Mammals are animals that have skin covered with hair. 2. Mammals are viviparous – young are born alive. 3. Mother mammals nourish their babies with milk thru mammary glands. 4.

Mammals are heterodonts – have a variety of specialized teeth (incisors, canines, premolars, and molars) and strong jaws. 5. Most mammals are placental – the embryo develops internally in a uterus to the mother by a placenta. 6. Some are marsupial – in the very early part of the embryonic development the young are born and completes its development in the mother’s pouch 7. One very unusual is the duck-billed platypus is monotreme – its egg laying. 8. Many mammals are terrestrial. 9. Others are aquatic. 10. A few are aerial. 11. Some are domesticated. 13. Mammals are the only animals with an outer ear just like the hare. 14. Pandas eat lots of bamboo up to 12 hours everyday. 15. Moose are the biggest of all the deer. 16. Despite the hump, a camel’s spine is straight. 17. Porcupines float in water. 18. A cat’s jaws cannot move sideway 19. Koala sleeps 20 hours each day. 20. Bats are the only flying mammals. 21.

Kangaroos cannot walk backwards. 22. Chimps are the only animals that can recognize themselves in a mirror. 23. Elephants have been known to remain standing when they die. Chiroptera? | Article about Chiroptera? by The Free Dictionary Chiroptera? | Article about Chiroptera? by The Free Dictionary Also found in: Dictionary , Thesaurus , Medical , Legal , Wikipedia . bat, winged mammal of the order Chiroptera, which includes 900–1,000 species classified in about 200 genera and 17 families. Bats range in size from a wingspread of over 5 ft (150 cm) to a wingspread of less than 2 in. (5 cm). They are found in nearly all parts of the world but are most numerous in the tropics; there are about 39 species in the United States. Most bats are economically valuable because of the large number of insects they consume. The body of the bat is mouselike and usually covered with fine fur.

The face varies greatly from one species to another; many species have complex appendages on the snout and projections, or false ears, in front of the true ears; the ears themselves are often very large and elaborately convoluted. These facial structures are part of the sensory apparatus that emits and receives sound vibrations. Some bats are solitary, living in caves, crevices, hollow trees, or attics; other species are communal, with thousands or even millions of bats roosting together in a cave or on branches in a section of forest. In some species of communal bats, the entire colony leaves the roost together in the evening and returns together in the morning; in others, individuals come and go at different times. Bats of northern regions migrate, hibernate, or both in winter. In most species, males and females do not associate except during the mating season. Females of most species bear a single young in the summer of each year. The young are then carried by the mothers for a few days, after which they are left in the roost when not nursing; they begin to fly in a few weeks. The life span of some bats is 20 years in captivity.

Special Characteristics Bat Flight Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight, that is, flight powered by muscular movement as distinct from gliding. The wing is a double membrane of skin stretched between the enormously elongated bones of four fingers and extending along the body from the forelimbs to the hind limbs and from there to the tail. The thumb is small, clawed, and free from the membrane. The hind limbs are small and may be rotated in such a way that the knees bend backward rather than forward, as in other mammals; this is presumably an adaptation for takeoff and flight. Bats at rest hang head down, grasping a twig or crevice with their clawed feet; they take off into flight from this position. Echolocation Nearly all bats are nocturnal and many live in caves; although they see well, they rely primarily on their highly developed hearing, using echolocation (sonar) to avoid collisions and to capture insects in flight. The bat emits high-pitched sounds (up to 100,000 hertz) that echo from objects it encounters; the echo provides the bat with information about the size, shape, and distance of the object.

The rate at which bats emit these squeaks is sometimes as high as 200 per second. Blinded bats easily find their way through complex obstacle courses, but deafness leaves them helpless. Types of Bats The bat order is divided on anatomical grounds into two major divisions, or suborders: the Megachiroptera, or fruit bats fruit bat, fruit-eating bat found in tropical regions of the Old World. It is relatively large and differs from other bats in the possession of an independent, clawed second digit; it also depends on sight rather than echo-location in maintaining orientation. ..... Click the link for more information. , found only in the Old World tropics, and the Microchiroptera, or insect-eating bats, with a worldwide distribution. The fruit bats include the largest species of bat, the flying foxes, which may weigh 2 or 3 lbs (.9 to 1.4 kg). Their diet is confined almost entirely to fruit, nectar, and pollen. The insect-eating bats include the smallest bat species. Despite the name, some of these bats live wholly or largely on fruit; a large number eat insects and, in some cases, larger animals.

Members of several species catch fish as they skim over water, and the South American vampire bats vampire bat, name for the blood-drinking bats of the family Desmodontidae, found in the New World tropics. Vampire bats feed exclusively on the blood of living animals and are thus the only true parasites among mammals. There are three species ranging from Argentina to N Mexico. ..... Click the link for more information. feed exclusively on blood. The most common bats of the temperate Northern Hemisphere are the Old World horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus), characterized by one or two horseshoe-shaped facial appendages, the cosmopolitan little brown bats (Myotis), big brown bats, or serotines (Eptesicus), and pipistrelles (Pipistrellus). The last three, all represented by species in North America, belong to the plain-nosed bat family (Vespertilionidae), characterized by a lack of appendages on the snout. There are over a dozen species of Myotis in North America; the common little brown bat, M. lucifugus, is distributed over the entire continent from Alaska and Labrador to the S United States.

A colonial bat, it is found in many habitats, including houses. It is about 2 1-2 in. (6.3 cm) long without the tail and weighs about 1-4 oz (7 grams). The North American big brown bat, Eptesicus fuscus, of similar distribution, is about three times as heavy, with a wingspread of 12 in. (30 cm). The little and big brown bats are among the species susceptible to white-nose syndrome, which leads to water loss and emaciation during winter hibernation. Identified in 2006 and caused by the fungus Geomyces destructans, it has been devastating to infected bat colonies in North America. Large, solitary North American bats of wide distribution are the hoary bat, Lasiurus cinereus, yellow-brown with silver frosting, and the red bat, L. borealis, which is a striking brick-red color. Both have soft, thick fur and roost in trees. The freetail bats (family Molossidae) are a cosmopolitan group of communal bats characterized by a long tail extending well beyond the end of the tail membrane.

Among them are the guano bats (Tadarida), which live in enormous colonies. Their excrement, called guano guano , dried excrement of sea birds and bats found principally on the coastal islands of Peru, Africa, Chile, and the West Indies. It contains about 6% phosphorus, 9% nitrogen, 2% potassium, and moisture. Guano is found mixed with feathers and bones and is used as a fertilizer. ..... Click the link for more information. , accumulates in great quantities in their roosting places and is commercially valuable as fertilizer. Most New World freetail bats are tropical, but several are found in the S United States. One of these, the Mexican freetail bat (Tadarida brasiliensis), is noted for its colonies in the Carlsbad Caverns of New Mexico, numbering an estimated 250,000 to 500,000 individuals. When these bats leave the caves together it takes about 20 min for the entire column to make its exit. This family also includes the mastiff bats (Eumops), largest of the North American bats, with a wingspread of 18 in. (46 cm).

Classification Bats are classified in the phylum Chordata Chordata , phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals. ..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Chiroptera. Bibliography See R. W. Barbour and W. H. Davis, Bats of America (1969); W. A. Wimsatt, ed., Biology of Bats (2 vol., 1970); M. J. Harvey et al., Bats of the United States and Canada (2011). What does it mean when you dream about a bat? (animal) Bats symbolize the powers of the unknown or of the unconscious. Negatively, they can represent fear, the threatening power of the unknown, and, traditionally, death. Positively, as creatures who are quite at home in the dark, bats can also indicate the skill and knowledge to face the unknown and/or the unconsciousness.

What does it mean when you dream about a bat? (baseball, Cricket and Other Sports) Unless one’s dream flows directly out of associations with actual games and bats—either in childhood or in the present—the usual connotations of a stick with which one hits things is that of violence and aggression, though it can sometimes represent authority. Traditional psychiatrists also view anything long and straight—especially something like a bat—as a symbol of the male principle. bat

Question: Which group of mammals belong to the order, Chiroptera?
Answer: BATS