Bats Fossil range: Late Paleocene - Recent
"Chiroptera" from Ernst Haeckel's Kunstformen der Natur, 1904
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Infraclass: Eutheria Superorder: Laurasiatheria / Archonta (debating, see article) Order: Chiroptera Blumenbach, 1779
Suborders
See article

A bat is a mammal in the order Chiroptera. The Paleocene or Palaeocene, "early dawn of the recent" is a geologic epoch that lasted from 65 Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel ( February 16, 1834 — August 9, 1919)also written von Haeckel, was an eminent German Kunstformen der Natur ( German: Art Forms of Nature) is a book of lithographic and Autotype prints by German biologist Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands See also Evolution of mammals Eutheria ("true beast" are a group of Mammals consisting of Placental mammals plus all extinct Mammals Laurasiatheria is a Clade of rank Cohort or super-order within the Placentalia (living or Eutheria (Placentals and their extinct ancestors The Archonta are a group of mammals considered a Superorder in some classifications Johann Friedrich Blumenbach ( May 11, 1752 – January 22, 1840) was a German doctor and Physiologist, Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used Their most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight (though other mammals, such as flying squirrels, gliding flying possums and colugos, can glide for limited distances). WING "ESPN 1410" is a commercial AM radio station in Dayton Ohio operating with 5000 watts at 1410 kHz with studios offices and transmitter located on David Flight is the process by which an object achieves sustained movement either through the Air (or movement beyond Earth's atmosphere, in the case of The flying squirrels, scientifically known as Pteromyini or Petauristini, are a tribe of Squirrels ( family Sciuridae) Gliding is a Recreational activity and competitive Sport in which pilots fly un-powered aircraft known as Gliders or sailplanes The word Chiroptera comes from the Greek words cheir "hand" and pteron "wing," as the structure of the open wing is very similar to an outspread human hand with a membrane (patagium) between the fingers that also stretches between hand and body. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant In Bats, the Skin forming the surface of the wing It is an extension of the skin of the abdomen that runs to the tip of each digit uniting the forelimb with the

A measure of the success of bats is their estimated total of about 1,100 species of bats worldwide, accounting for about 20 percent of all mammal species. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. ^[1] About 70 percent of bats are insectivores. An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of Insects and similar small creatures Most of the rest are fructivores, with a few species being carnivorous. Bats are present throughout most of the world.

Bats perform a vital ecological role by pollinating some flowers, and also have an important role in seed dispersal; indeed, many tropical plants are totally dependent on bats. A pollinator is the biotic agent ( vector) that moves Pollen from the male Anthers of a Flower to the female stigma of a flower to accomplish A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also This role explains environmental concerns when a bat is introduced in a new setting. An introduced species (also known as naturalized species or exotic species) is an Organism that is not indigenous to a given location but Tenerife provides a recent example with the introduction of the Egyptian fruit bat. Tenerife (previously known and spelled as "Teneriffe" in English before mass tourism adopted the Spanish spelling a Spanish Island, is the largest The Egyptian Fruit Bat or Egyptian Rousette ( Rousettus aegyptiacus) is a species of Old World fruit bat found throughout Africa, except

Fossil bats

Since bats are terrestrial and light-boned, there are few fossilized remains. An Early Eocene bat, Onychonycteris finneyi, was found in the 52-million-year-old Green River Formation in Wyoming (US) in 2003. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in Onychonycteris is the most primitive of the two oldest known Monospecific genera of Bat, having lived in the area that is current day Wyoming The Green River Formation is an Eocene geologic formation that records the sedimentation in a series of intermountain lakes The new genus was placed in a new family when it was published in Nature, February 2008. ^[2]. It was clearly a flier, but the well-articulated skeleton showed underdeveloped cochlea of the inner ear, which provide echolocation capabilities in all modern true bats, demonstrating at last that flight in bats was developed before echolocation. The cochlea is the auditory portion of the Inner ear. Its core component is the Organ of Corti, the sensory organ of hearing, which is distributed along The team realized Onychonycteris finneyi was different when they noticed that the species lacked the ear and throat features present in all living, echolocating bats today, and even in other ancient species.

The bats of 52,5 million years ago flew differently than the bats of today and looked vastly different too. Onychonycteris had claws on all five of its fingers, whereas modern bats have - at most - claws for only two digits on each hand. It also had longer hind legs, and shorter forearms, similar to those of climbing mammals that hang under branches (such as sloths or gibbons). The living sloths comprise six Species of medium-sized Mammals that live in Central and South America belonging to the families Gibbons are the small Apes in the family Hylobatidae. The family is divided into four genera based on their Diploid Chromosome This palm-sized animal had broad, short wings that suggest the it could not fly as fast or as far as those that evolved later. Instead of flapping its wings continuously while flying, it would likely have alternated flapping and gliding while in the air. These physical characteristics suggest that this species also did not fly as much as modern bats do; perhaps just flying to get from tree to tree, spending most of their waking day just climbing or hanging. ^[3]

Another early Eocene fossil Icaronycteris index, was unearthed in 1960. Icaronycteris is an extinct genus of microchiropteran (echolocating Bat that lived in the early Eocene, approximately 52

Classification and evolution

Townsends's Big-eared Bat, Corynorhinus townsendii

Giant golden-crowned flying fox, Acerodon jubatus

Common Pipistrelle, Pipistrellus pipistrellus

Bats are mammals. The Giant golden-crowned flying fox ( Acerodon jubatus) also known as the Golden-capped fruit bat, is a rare Fruit bat and the largest known Bat The Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus is a small Bat whose very large range extends across most of Europe, North Africa, southwestern Though sometimes called "flying rodents", "flying mice," or even mistaken for insects and birds, bats are not, in fact, any of these things. Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described There are two traditional suborders of bats:

• Megachiroptera (megabats)
• Microchiroptera (microbats/echolocating bats)

Despite the name, not all megabats are larger than microbats. For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera ( Bats. The major distinction between the two suborders is based on other factors:

• Microbats use echolocation, whereas megabats do not (except for Rousettus and relatives). Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological Sonar used by several Animals such as Dolphins Shrews most Bats Rousettus is a Genus of Old World fruit bats They are sometimes referred to as Dog -faced fruit bats or Flying foxes The genus is
• Microbats lack the claw at the second toe of the forelimb. A claw is a curved pointed appendage found at the end of a toe or finger in most Mammals, Birds, and some Reptiles. Toes are the digits of the Foot of an animal Many animal species such as Cats walk on their toes and are described as being Digitigrade A forelimb is an Anterior (front-most limb (arm leg or similar appendage on an Animal 's body
• The ears of microbats do not form a closed ring, but the edges are separated from each other at the base of the ear. The ear is the sense organ that detects Sounds The Vertebrate ear shows a common biology from Fish to Humans with variations
• Microbats lack underfur; they have only guard hairs or are naked. Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. Guard hairs are the longest most coarse hairs in a Mammal 's coat forming the topcoat (or outer coat)

Megabats eat fruit, nectar or pollen while microbats eat insects, blood (small quantities of the blood of animals), small mammals, and fish. Nectar is a Sugar -rich liquid produced by plants It is produced either by the Flowers in which it attracts pollinating animals or by extrafloral Pollen is a fine to coarse powder consisting of microgametophytes ( pollen grains) which produce the male Gametes (sperm cells of Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells ��such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products While megabats have a well-developed visual cortex and show good visual acuity, microbats rely on echolocation for navigation and finding prey. The term visual cortex refers to the primary visual cortex (also known as striate cortex or Eye examination Visual acuity (VA is acuteness or clearness of vision, especially form vision which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological Sonar used by several Animals such as Dolphins Shrews most Bats

The phylogenetic relationships of the different groups of bats have been the subject of much debate. The traditional subdivision into Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera reflects the predominant view that suggests that these two groups of bats have evolved independently for a long time, from a common ancestor that was already capable of flight. A group of organisms is said to have common descent if they have a common Ancestor. This hypothesis recognizes the marked differences between microbats and megabats, while at the same time acknowledging the likelihood that flight has evolved only once in mammals. In addition, the majority of molecular biological evidence supports the point of view that bats form a monophyletic group (e. g. ^[4]).

More recently, researchers have proposed alternative views of chiropteran phylogeny (and classification), but more research is required to assess the merits of these proposals.

• Genetic evidence indicates that megabats should be placed within the four major lines of microbats, which originated during the early Eocene. Genetics (from Ancient Greek grc-Latn genetikos, “genitive” and that from grc-Latn genesis, “origin” a discipline of Biology, is The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in This has resulted in a new classification, which includes two suborders: Yinpterochiroptera which includes the families Pteropodidae, Rhinolophidae, Megadermatidae, and Rhinopomatidae, and Yangochiroptera, including all other families of bats. The Yinpterochiroptera is a proposed suborder of the Chiroptera, which includes the Megabats and three of the Microbat families Rhinopomatidae The Yangochiroptera is a proposed suborder of Chiroptera that includes most of the Microbat families except the Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae Because these relationships combine echolocating and non-echolocating bats, it's unknown if the ancestor of bats possessed laryngeal echolocation and the bats of Pteropodiae subsequently lost it, or if this ability evolved twice. ^[5]
• There is some morphological evidence that Megachiroptera evolved flight separately from Microchiroptera. The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism When adaptations to flight are discounted in a cladistic analysis, the Megachiroptera are allied to primates by anatomical features that are not shared with Microchiroptera. Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye For example, the brains of megabats show a number of advanced characteristics linking these animals to primates, which have been deemed unlikely to have arisen by parallel evolution. For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats For details of the controversy surrounding this proposal, see Flying primates theory). The flying primates theory conjectures that Megabats a sub-group of Chiroptera (also known as flying foxes) form an evolutionary Sister group

Little fossil evidence exists about the evolution of bats, since their small, delicate skeletons do not fossilize well. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 In Biology, the skeleton is a strong and often a rigid framework that supports the body of an animal holding it upright and giving it shape and strength (Also skeletal However a Late Cretaceous tooth from South America resembles that of an early Microchiropteran bat. Late Cretaceous (100mya - 65mya refers to the second half of the Cretaceous Period, named after the famous white Chalk cliffs of southern England The oldest known definite bat fossils, such as Icaronycteris, Archaeonycteris, Palaeochiropteryx and Hassianycteris, are from the early Eocene (52.5 million years ago^[4]), but they were already very similar to modern microbats. Icaronycteris is an extinct genus of microchiropteran (echolocating Bat that lived in the early Eocene, approximately 52 Palaeochiropteryx is an extinct Genus of Bat. Palaeochiropteryx from Eocene Europe had wings formed from enlarged hands The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in Archaeopteropus, formerly classified as the earliest known megachiropteran, is now classified as a microchiropteran.

Bats are traditionally grouped with the tree shrews (Scandentia), colugos (Dermoptera), and the primates in superorder Archonta because of the similarities between Megachiroptera and these mammals. The treeshrews (or tree shrews) are small Mammals native to the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. A primate is a member of the biological order Primates ( Latin: "prime first rank" the group that contains Lemurs the Aye-aye This article is about the taxonomic rank for the sequence of species in a taxonomic list see Taxonomic order In scientific classification used The Archonta are a group of mammals considered a Superorder in some classifications However, molecular studies have placed them as sister group to Ferungulata—a large grouping including carnivorans, pangolins, odd-toed ungulates, even-toed ungulates, and whales. Ferungulata is traditionally a Clade with the rank of Cohort within the Placental Mammals Established by George Gaylord Simpson in The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre The odd-toed ungulates are browsing and Grazing Mammals which compose the order Perissodactyla. The even-toed ungulates form the Mammal order Artiodactyla. They are Ungulates whose weight is borne (if they have more than two toes about The Order Cetacea (sɪˈteɪʃiə L cetus, whale includes Whales Dolphins and Porpoises Cetus is

Below is the traditional classification of bats.

• Order Chiroptera (Ky-rop`ter-a) (Gr. cheir, hand, + pteron, wing)
  • Suborder Megachiroptera (megabats)
    • Pteropodidae
  • Suborder Microchiroptera (microbats)
    • Superfamily Emballonuroidea
      • Emballonuridae (Sac-winged or Sheath-tailed bats)
    • Superfamily Molossoidea
      • Antrozoidae (Pallid bats)
      • Molossidae (Free-tailed bats)
    • Superfamily Nataloidea
      • Furipteridae (Smoky bats)
      • Myzopodidae (Sucker-footed bats)
      • Natalidae (Funnel-eared bats)
      • Thyropteridae (Disk-winged bats)
    • Superfamily Noctilionoidea
      • Mormoopidae (Ghost-faced or Moustached bats)
      • Mystacinidae (New Zealand short-tailed bats)
      • Noctilionidae (Bulldog bats or Fisherman bats)
      • Phyllostomidae (Leaf-nosed bats)
    • Superfamily Rhinolophoidea
      • Megadermatidae (False vampires)
      • Nycteridae (Hollow-faced or Slit-faced bats)
      • Rhinolophidae (Horseshoe bats)
    • Superfamily Rhinopomatoidea
      • Craseonycteridae (Bumblebee Bat or Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat)
      • Rhinopomatidae (Mouse-tailed bats)
    • Superfamily Vespertilionoidea
      • Vespertilionidae (Vesper bats or Evening bats)

Megabats are primarily fruit- or nectar-eating. For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera ( Bats. The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera ( Bats. The 47 species of sac-winged or sheathtailed bats constitute the family Emballonuridae, and can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions all over The 47 species of sac-winged or sheathtailed bats constitute the family Emballonuridae, and can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions all over The 47 species of sac-winged or sheathtailed bats constitute the family Emballonuridae, and can be found in tropical and sub-tropical regions all over The Pallid Bat ( Antrozous pallidus) is a species of Bat, which ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. The Pallid Bat ( Antrozous pallidus) is a species of Bat, which ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. Molossidae, or Free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the Chiroptera order Molossidae, or Free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the Chiroptera order Furipteridae is one of the families of Bats This familiy contains only two species the Smokey Bat and the Thumbless Bat. UserPolbot. -->The Smokey Bat ( Amorphochilus schnablii) is a species of Bat in the Furipteridae Myzopoda is the only genus in family Myzopodidae. Two species Myzopoda aurita Milne-Edwards & The family Natalidae, or funnel-eared bats are found from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean islands Disc-winged bats are a small group of bats of the family Thyropteridae. The family Mormoopidae contains Bats known generally as moustache bats, ghost-faced bats, and naked-backed bats. UserPolbot. -->The Ghost-faced Bat ( Mormoops megalophylla) is a species of Bat in the Mormoopidae The New Zealand short-tailed Bats are the Mystacinidae family of bats The New Zealand short-tailed Bats are the Mystacinidae family of bats The Noctilionidae family of Bats commonly known as Bulldog bats or Fisherman Bats, are represented by two species the Greater Bulldog Bat and The Noctilionidae family of Bats commonly known as Bulldog bats or Fisherman Bats, are represented by two species the Greater Bulldog Bat and The Noctilionidae family of Bats commonly known as Bulldog bats or Fisherman Bats, are represented by two species the Greater Bulldog Bat and The New World leaf-nosed bats ( Phyllostomidae) are found throughout Central and South America from Mexico to northern Argentina. The New World leaf-nosed bats ( Phyllostomidae) are found throughout Central and South America from Mexico to northern Argentina. Megadermatidae, or False Vampire Bats, are a family of Bats found from central Africa, eastwards through southern Asia, and into Australia The genus Vampyrum contains only one species the Spectral Bat ( V Nycteridae is the family of slit-faced or hollow-faced bats. They are grouped in a single Genus, Nycteris. Nycteridae is the family of slit-faced or hollow-faced bats. They are grouped in a single Genus, Nycteris. Nycteridae is the family of slit-faced or hollow-faced bats. They are grouped in a single Genus, Nycteris. Horseshoe bats (the Rhinolophidae family are a large family of bats including approximately 130 species grouped in 10 genera Horseshoe bats (the Rhinolophidae family are a large family of bats including approximately 130 species grouped in 10 genera Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat ( Craseonycteris thonglongyai) also known as the bumblebee bat, is an Endangered species of Bat and the only member Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat ( Craseonycteris thonglongyai) also known as the bumblebee bat, is an Endangered species of Bat and the only member Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat ( Craseonycteris thonglongyai) also known as the bumblebee bat, is an Endangered species of Bat and the only member Mouse-tailed bats are a group of insectivorous bats of the family Rhinopomatidae with only three species all contained in the single Genus Evening bats or perhaps more correctly Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae) are the largest and best-known family of Bats They belong to the suborder Evening bats or perhaps more correctly Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae) are the largest and best-known family of Bats They belong to the suborder Evening bats or perhaps more correctly Vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae) are the largest and best-known family of Bats They belong to the suborder They have probably evolved for some time in New Guinea without microbat concurrention. This has resulted in some smaller megabats of the genus Nyctimene becoming (partly) insectivorous to fill the vacant microbat ecological niche. For the genus of tube-nosed fruit bats Nyctimene see Megabat. Furthermore, there is some evidence that the fruit bat genus Pteralopex from the Solomon Islands, and its close relative Mirimiri from Fiji, have evolved to fill some niches that were open because there are no nonvolant (non-flying) mammals in those islands. Pteralopex is a genus of Bat in the Pteropodidae family It contains the following 4 (formerly 5 species Bougainville monkey-faced bat The Solomon Islands is a country in Melanesia, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands The Fijian monkey-faced bat ( Mirimiri acrodonta) (also called the Fiji Flying Fox) is an Old World fruit bat endemic to Fiji. Fiji (Matanitu ko Viti फ़िजी officially the Republic of the Fiji Islands (Matanitu Tu-Vaka-i-koya ko Viti फ़िजी द्वीप समूह गणराज्य

Anatomy

Skeleton of a Greater Mouse-eared Bat (Myotis myotis))

By emitting high-pitched sounds and listening to the echoes, also known as sonar, microbats locate prey and other nearby objects. The greater mouse-eared bat ( Myotis myotis) is a rare European species of Bat in the Vespertilionidae family In Audio signal processing and Acoustics, an echo (plural echoes) is a reflection of sound arriving at the listener some time after the direct This is the process of echolocation, an ability they share with dolphins and whales. Dolphins are Marine mammals that are closely related to Whales and Porpoises There are almost forty species of dolphin in seventeen genera. Whales are marine mammals which are neither Dolphins (ie members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor Porpoises Orcas Two groups of moths exploit the bats' senses: tiger moths produce ultrasonic signals to warn the bats that the moths are chemically-protected (aposematism) (this was once thought to be a form of "radar jamming", but this theory has been disproved); the moths Noctuidae have a hearing organ called a tympanum which responds to an incoming bat signal by causing the moth's flight muscles to twitch erratically, sending the moth into random evasive manoeuvres. A moth is an Insect closely related to the Butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Arctiidae is a large and diverse family of Moths with around 11000 species found all over the world with 6000 Neotropical species (Scoble 1995 Radar jamming and deception is the intentional emission of Radio Frequency signals to interfere with the operation of a radar by saturating its receiver The Noctuidae or Owlet moths are a family of robustly-built Moths that includes more than 35000 known species out of possibly 100000 total in more than 4200 genera A Tympanal organ is a hearing organ in Insects, consisting of a membrane ( tympanum) stretched across a frame backed by an air sac

Although the eyes of most microbat species are small and poorly developed, leading to poor visual acuity, it is incorrect to assume that they are nearly blind. Eyes are organs that detect Light, and send signals along the Optic nerve to the visual areas of the brain Eye examination Visual acuity (VA is acuteness or clearness of vision, especially form vision which is dependent on the sharpness of the retinal focus within the Vision is used as an aid in navigation especially at long distances, beyond the range of echolocation. It has even been discovered that some species are able to detect ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet ( UV) light is Electromagnetic radiation with a Wavelength shorter than that of Visible light, but longer than X-rays Their senses of smell and hearing are excellent.

The teeth of microbats resemble those of the insectivorans. The order Insectivora (from Latin insectum "insect" and vorare "to eat" is a now-abandoned biological grouping within the They are very sharp in order to bite through the hardened armor of insects or the skin of fruits. A sclerite ( Greek skleros meaning " hard " is a hardened body part

Thermographic image of a bat using trapped air as insulation.

While other mammals have one-way valves only in their veins to prevent the blood from flowing backwards, bats also have the same mechanism in their arteries. In the Circulatory system, a vein is a Blood vessel that carries Blood back toward the Heart (as opposed to Artery, a blood vessel Arteries are Blood vessels that carry blood away from the Heart.

The finger bones of bats are much more flexible than those of other mammals. One reason is that the cartilage in their fingers lacks calcium and other minerals nearer the tips, increasing their ability to bend without splintering. Cartilage is a type of dense Connective tissue. It is composed of specialized cells called chondrocytes that produce a large amount of extracellular matrix Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific The cross-section of the finger bone is also flattened instead of circular as is the bone in a human finger, making it even more flexible. The skin on their wing membranes is a lot more elastic and can stretch much more than is usually seen among mammals.

Because their wings are much thinner than those of birds, bats can manoeuvre more quickly and more precisely than birds. The surface of their wings are also equipped with touch-sensitive receptors on small bumps called Merkel cells, found in most mammals, including humans. Merkel cells are large oval cells found in the skin of vertebrates But these sensitive areas are different in bats as each bump has a tiny hair in the center,^[6] making it even more sensitive, and allowing the bat to detect and collect information about the air flowing over its wings. An additional kind of receptor cell is found in the wing membrane of species that use their wings to catch prey. This receptor cell is sensitive to the stretching of the membrane. ^[6] The cells are concentrated in areas of the membrane where insects hit the wings when the bats capture them.

One species of bat has the longest tongue of any mammal relative to its body size. The tongue is the large bundle of Skeletal muscles on the floor of the Mouth that manipulates Food for chewing and swallowing (deglutition This is extremely beneficial to them in terms of pollination and feeding - their long narrow tongues can reach deep down into the long cup shape of some flowers. A flower, also known as a bloom or Blossom, is the reproductive structure found in Flowering plants (plants of the division Magnoliophyta, also When their tongue retracts, it coils up inside their rib cage. ^[7]

Reproduction

Colony of Mouse-eared Bats, Myotis myotis

Mother bats usually have only one offspring per year, and they are viviparous. A viviparous Animal is an animal employing vivipary: the embryo develops inside the body of the mother as opposed to outside in an egg ( Ovipary A baby bat is referred to as a pup. ^[8] Pups are usually left in the roost when they are not nursing. Breastfeeding is the feeding of an Infant or young Child with Breast milk directly from human Breasts, not from a Baby bottle or other However, 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, but normally only one young is born. Bats 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. A cave is a natural underground void large enough for a human to enter Mother bats are able to find their young in huge colonies of millions of other pups. Pups have even been seen to feed on other mothers' milk if their mother is dry. Only the mother cares for the young, and there is no continuous partnership with male bats.

The ability to fly is congenital, but at birth the wings are too small to fly. Young microbats become independent at the age of 6 to 8 weeks, megabats not until they are four months old. The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera ( Bats. For other uses of the term "Flying fox" see Flying fox (disambiguation Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats At the age of two years, bats are sexually mature.

A single bat can live over 20 years, but the bat population growth is limited by the slow birth rate. Crude birth rate is the natality or Childbirths per 1000 people per year ^[9]

Behavior

Most microbats are active at night or at twilight.

Many bats migrate, while others pass into torpor in cold weather but rouse themselves and feed when warm spells permit insect activity. Bird migration refers to the regular seasonal journeys undertaken by many species of Birds Bird movements include those made in response to changes in food availability Torpor is a (usually short-term state of decreased physiological activity in an animal usually characterized by a reduced body temperature and rate of metabolism Yet others retreat to caves for winter and hibernate for six months. For the ability of certain operating systems see Hibernate (OS feature Hibernation is a state of inactivity and metabolic depression Bats rarely fly in rain- the rain interferes with their echo location, and they are unable to locate their food.

The social structure of bats varies, with some bats leading a solitary life and others living in caves colonized by more than a million bats. The fission-fusion social structure is seen among several species of bats. In primatology a fission-fusion society is one in which the social group e "Fusion" refers to the grouping of large numbers of bats in one roosting area and "fission" is the breaking apart and mixing of subgroups, with individual bats switching roosts with others and often ending up in different trees and with different roostmates.

Studies also show that bats make all kinds of sounds to communicate with others. Scientists in the field have listened to bats and have been able to identify some sounds with some behaviour bats will make right after the sounds are made.

70% of bat species are insectivorous, locating their prey by means of sonar. Of the remainder, most feed on fruits and their juices. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. JUICE is a widely used non-commercial Software package for editing and analysing phytosociological data Only three species sustain themselves with blood, some preying on vertebrates: these are the leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) of Central America and South America, and the two bulldog bat (Noctilionidae) species, which feed on fish. Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells ��such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes The New World leaf-nosed bats ( Phyllostomidae) are found throughout Central and South America from Mexico to northern Argentina. South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The Noctilionidae family of Bats commonly known as Bulldog bats or Fisherman Bats, are represented by two species the Greater Bulldog Bat and Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two At least two species of bat are known to feed on other bats: the Spectral Bat, also called the American False Vampire bat, and the Ghost Bat of Australia. The genus Vampyrum contains only one species the Spectral Bat ( V The Ghost Bat ( Macroderma gigas) also known as the False Vampire Bat is a Bat endemic to Australia, named for the extremely thin membrane For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. One species, the Greater Noctule bat, is believed to catch and eat small birds in the air. The Greater Noctule bat ( Nyctalus lasiopterus) or Greater Noctule, is a rare and little known mammal Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs.

As vectors for pathogens

A big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) approaches a wax moth (Galleria mellonella), which serves as the control species for the studies of the tiger moths. The Big Brown Bat ( Eptesicus fuscus) is larger in size than comparative species of Bats from about 4 to 5 inches (10 - 13 cm in length and weighing 1/2 to 5/8 The moth is only "semi-tethered," allowing it to fly evasively.

Bats are natural reservoirs or vectors for a large number of zoonotic pathogens^[10] including rabies,^[11] severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS),^[12] Henipavirus (ie. In Epidemiology, a vector is an Organism that does not cause Disease itself but which transmits Infection by conveying Pathogens from A zoonosis (ˌzoʊəˈnoʊsɨs or zoonose is any Infectious disease that is able to be transmitted (by a vector) from other Animals both wild and domestic A pathogen (from Greek πάθος pathos "suffering passion" and γἰγνομαι (γεν- gignomai (gen- "I give birth to" infectious Rabies (from rabies “madness rage fury” Also known as “ hydrophobia ” is a viral Zoonotic neuroinvasive disease that Henipavirus is a Genus of the family Paramyxoviridae, order Mononegavirales containing two members Hendravirus Nipah virus and Hendra virus)^[13] and possibly ebola virus^[14]. Ebola is the common term for a group of Viruses belonging to genus Ebolavirus, family Filoviridae, and for the disease which they ^[15] Their high mobility, broad distribution, and social behaviour (communal roosting, fission-fusion social structure) make bats favourable hosts and vectors of disease. Many species also appear to have a high tolerance for harbouring pathogens and often do not develop disease while infected.

Only 0. 5% of bats carry rabies. However, of the very few cases of rabies reported in the United States every year, most are caused by bat bites. Rabies (from rabies “madness rage fury” Also known as “ hydrophobia ” is a viral Zoonotic neuroinvasive disease that The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A bite is a Wound received from the Mouth (and in particular the Teeth) of an Animal or human ^[16] Although most bats do not have rabies, those that do may be clumsy, disoriented, and unable to fly, which makes it more likely that they will come into contact with humans. Although one should not have an unreasonable fear of bats, one should avoid handling them or having them in one's living space, as with any wild animal. Fear of bats, sometimes called chiroptophobia (an incorrect derivation from the order Chiroptera of Bats may refer both to a specific If a bat is found in living quarters near a child, mentally handicapped person, intoxicated person, sleeping person, or pet, the person or pet should receive immediate medical attention for rabies. Bats have very small teeth and can bite a sleeping person without necessarily being felt. There is evidence that it is possible for the bat rabies virus to infect victims purely through airborne transmission, without direct physical contact of the victim with the bat itself. ^[17][18]

If a bat is found in a house and the possibility of exposure cannot be ruled out, the bat should be sequestered and an animal control officer called immediately, so that the bat can be analysed. This also applies if the bat is found dead. If it is certain that nobody has been exposed to the bat, it should be removed from the house. The best way to do this is to close all the doors and windows to the room except one to the outside. The bat should soon leave.

Due to the risk of rabies and also due to health problems related to their faecal droppings (guano), bats should be excluded from inhabited parts of houses. Guano (from the Quechua 'wanu' via Spanish) is the Feces of Seabirds Bats and seals The Center for Disease Control's website on bats and rabies provides full detailed information on all aspects of bat management, including how to capture a bat, what to do in case of exposure, and how to bat-proof a house humanely. In certain countries, such as the United Kingdom, it is illegal to handle bats without a license. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located

Where rabies is not endemic, as throughout most of Western Europe, small bats can be considered harmless. Western Europe at its most general meaning means 'all the countries in the West of Europe ' Larger bats can give a nasty bite. They should be treated with the respect due to any wild animal.

Cultural aspects

Bat. Moche Culture 100 A. D. Larco Museum Lima, Peru. The Larco Museum (Museo Larco is located in the Pueblo Libre District in Lima, Peru. Lima is the Capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers on a coast overlooking Peru (Perú Piruw Piruw officially the Republic of Peru ( reˈpuβlika del peˈɾu is a country in western South America.

The bat is sacred in Tonga and West Africa and is often considered the physical manifestation of a separable soul. The Kingdom of Tonga is an Archipelago in the south Pacific Ocean comprising 169 islands 36 of them inhabited stretching over a distance of about 800 kilometres (500 miles West Africa or Western Africa is the Westernmost Region of the African Continent. The soul, according to many religious and philosophical beliefs is the self-awareness, or Consciousness, unique to a particular living Bats are closely associated with vampires, who are said to be able to shapeshift into bats, fog, or wolves. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living Shapeshifting is a common theme in Mythology and Folklore, as well as in Science fiction and Fantasy. Fog is a cloud that is in contact with the ground Stratus clouds are usually the only clouds that touch the ground The grey wolf or gray wolf ( Canis lupus) also known as the timber wolf or simply wolf, is a Mammal of the order Carnivora Bats are also a symbol of ghosts, death, and disease. A ghost is said to be the apparition of a Deceased person frequently similar in appearance to that person and usually encountered in places she or he frequented Death is the termination of the biological functions that define living Organisms It refers both to a specific A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly Among some Native Americans, such as the Creek, Cherokee and Apache, the bat is a trickster spirit. Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The Cherokee (ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯ a-ni-yv-wi-ya, in the Cherokee language) are a people native to North America, who at the time of European contact In Mythology, and in the study of Folklore and Religion, a trickster is a God, Goddess, spirit, man woman or anthropomorphic Chinese lore claims the bat is a symbol of longevity and happiness, and is similarly lucky in Poland and geographical Macedonia and among the Kwakiutl and Arabs. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland Macedonia is a Geographical and historical region of the Balkan peninsula in southeastern Europe whose area was re-defined in the early 20th century The term Kwakiutl was usually applied to a group of indigenous peoples of northern Vancouver Island, Queen Charlotte Strait and the Johnstone Strait The araB gene Promoter is a bacterial promoter activated by e L-arabinose binding The bat is also a heraldic animal of the Spanish autonomous community of Valencia. The Valencian Community ( Valencian and official Comunitat Valenciana; Comunidad Valenciana is an Autonomous community located in central to

Pre-Columbian cultures associated animals with gods and often displayed them in art. The pre-Columbian era incorporates all period subdivisions in the history and prehistory of the Americas before the appearance of significant European influences The Moche people depicted bats in their ceramics. The Moche civilization (alternately the Mochica culture Early Chimu Pre-Chimu Proto-Chimu etc ^[19]

In Western Culture, the bat is often a symbol of the night and its foreboding nature. Western culture (sometimes equated with Western Civilization) are terms which are used to refer to Cultures of European origin The bat is a primary animal associated with fictional characters of the night, both villains like Dracula and heroes like Batman. Dracula is an 1897 novel by Irish author Bram Stoker, featuring as its primary Antagonist the vampire Count Dracula. A hero (from Greek grc ἥρως hērōs) in Greek mythology and Folklore, was originally a Demigod, the offspring of a mortal and Batman (originally referred to as the Bat-Man and still referred to at times as the Batman) is a fictional Comic book Superhero co-created The association of the fear of the night with the animal was treated as a literary challenge by Kenneth Oppel, who created a best selling series of novels, beginning with Silverwing, which feature bats as the central heroic figures much as anthropomorphized rabbits were the central figures to the classic novel Watership Down. Kenneth Oppel (born August 31 1967) is a Canadian author Born in Port Alberni, British Columbia, he spent his childhood in Silverwing is a best-selling Fiction novel written by Kenneth Oppel, first published in 1997 by HarperCollins. Rabbits are small Mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world A novel (from Italian novella, Spanish novela, French nouvelle for "new" "news" or "short story Watership Down is the first and most successful Novel by British author Richard Adams.

An old wives' tale has it that bats will entangle themselves in people's hair. An old wives' tale or old wives' saws is a type of Urban legend, similar to a proverb which is generally passed down by old wives to a younger generation One likely source of this belief is that insect-eating bats seeking prey may dive erratically toward people, who attract mosquitoes and gnats, leading the squeamish to believe that the bats are trying to get in their hair. Mosquitoes are insects in the family Culicidae. They have a pair of scaled wings a pair of Halteres, a slender body and long legs GNAT is a free-software Compiler for the Ada programming language which forms part of the GNU Compiler Collection.

In the United Kingdom all bats are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Acts, and even disturbing a bat or its roost can be punished with a heavy fine. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom which aims to protect the Wildlife and Countryside of the

Very large bat house, Tallahassee, Florida.

In Sarawak, Malaysia bats are protected species under the Wildlife Protection Ordinance 1998 (see Malaysian Wildlife Law). Sarawak is one of two Malaysian states on the Island of Borneo. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and Malaysian Wildlife legislation system The regulation protection conservation and management of wildlife and its habitat is enshrined in the Federal Constitution that empowers the The large Naked bat (see Mammals of Borneo) and Greater Nectar bat are consumed by the local communities. The Mammal Species of Borneo include 288 Species of terrestrial and 91 species of Marine mammals recorded within the territorial boundaries

Bats can be a tourist attraction. The Congress Avenue bridge in Austin, Texas is the summer home to North America's largest urban bat colony, an estimated 1,500,000 Mexican free-tailed bats, which eat an estimated 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects each night. Congress Avenue is a major thoroughfare in Austin Texas. The street is a six-lane tree lined avenue that cuts through the middle of the city from far south Austin and goes Texas ( is a state geographically located in the South Central United States and is also known as the Lone Star State. The Mexican Free-tailed Bat ( Tadarida brasiliensis) is a medium sized Bat. An estimated 100,000 tourists per year visit the bridge at twilight to watch the bats leave the roost.

Artificial roosts

Many people put up bat houses to attract bats just like many people put up birdhouses to attract birds. Reasons for this vary, but mostly center around the fact that bats are the primary nocturnal insectivores in most if not all ecologies. Bat houses can be made from scratch, made from kits, or bought ready made. Plans for bat houses exist on many web sites, as well as guidelines for designing a bat house. Some conservation societies are giving away free bat houses to bat enthusiasts worldwide.

A bat house constructed in 1991 at the University of Florida campus next to Lake Alice in Gainesville has a population of over 100,000 free-tailed bats. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research Gainesville is the largest City in and County seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States. ^[20]

In Britain, pillboxes dating from World War II have been converted to make roosts for bats. British hardened field defences of World War II were small fortified structures constructed as a part of British anti-invasion preparations. Pillboxes that are well dug-in and thick walled are naturally damp and provide a stable thermal environment that is required by bats that would otherwise hibernate in caves. With a few minor modifications, suitable pillboxes can be converted to artificial caves for bats. ^[21][22]

See also

• Bat bomb
• Bat species
• Agreement on the Conservation of Populations of European Bats (UNEP/EUROBATS)
• Bat World Sanctuary
• European Bat Night
• Fictional bats
• Flying and gliding animals
• Audiograms in mammals
• Batman
• Bat boy

References

General references

External links

• Texas Parks and Wildlife Bat Page
• University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
• Bats and Tarsier
• Tree of Life
• Bat evolution linked to warming
• Microbat Vision
• Information On Bats & Trees in The UK
• Bats of Australia
• Article - Safely and Humanely Deal with Bat in House