Bats are the ONLY flying mammal. They are mouse-like nocturnal flying mammals. Bats are creatures of the night! They sleep during the day and are awake at night. Bats use echolocation to “see”. They emit bursts of sounds that bounce off objects. These returning echoes let bats detect prey.
Bats can be found almost anywhere except polar regions and deserts. There are about 1,200 bat species divided into megabats and microbats. Megabats are also called fruit bats or flying foxes.
Bats are incredibly unique. Even though bats are common across the planet, people rarely see them because most species are nocturnal. Bats help the environment and people by eating insects that destroy crops and spread diseases. Bats also pollinate flowers and spread seeds for new fruit trees.
There are two main groups of bats: Megachiroptera (Large Bats) and Microchiroptera (Small Bats). Bats live in caves, trees and buildings. A baby bat is a pup. A group of bats is a colony. Bats hang upside down because their limbs cannot support their weight.
Bat saliva is now a medication for stroke victims called “Draculin”. Bats can swim in stressful situations. Bat guano was once Texas’ largest mineral export before oil. The world’s largest bat is the “flying fox” living on South Pacific islands.
Over 1,400 bat species represent 20% of all mammals. Bats are mainly divided into two sub-orders: Megachiroptera (mega bats) and Microchiroptera (micro bats and echolating bats). Scientists have identified more than 6,400 mammal species. Only rodents have more species than bats.
Bats are the only mammals capable of sustained flight. They can be found worldwide, in almost every habitat. There are over 1,400 species of bats. Bats play a vital role in pollination. Their immune system interests scientists to understand better ways to combat human diseases. Contrary to popular belief, most bats do not feed on blood.
What animal is most closely related to bats?
Bats are thought to be related most closely to the Dermoptera. The Dermoptera includes the colugos or “flying lemurs”. Colugos are arboreal gliding mammals native to Southeast Asia. Scientists theorize bats evolved from small rodent-like animals, including rats. Bats have a classification of Mammalia and are in the Microchiroptera family. They share mammal characteristics like hair and regulated body temperature. However bats uniquely fly. Baby bats resemble little colugos with short fingers. Bats originated from tree-shrews already diverging from mammals 100 million years ago. Bats are related to Primates and Scandentia. These are classified together as Archonta. Chriacus was close to the ancestor of hooved mammals and whales. So Laurasiatherian mammals are related.
With wings adapted from forelimbs, bats uniquely fly continuously among mammals. Bats are more maneuverable than birds. Bats and birds inherited forelimbs from a common ancestor, not wings.
What would happen if bats went extinct?
Bats play an important role on the planet. Their extinction will cause an ecological crisis. Bats provide a vital link between a cave and the environment outside. This link forms the food chain’s basis. Little brown bats are owls, falcons and hawks’ food. These birds depend on bats to survive. One bat can eat 600 to 1,000 mosquitoes and pests in an hour. If bats disappear, insects will boom. This will cause crop failure, economic damage and illness. Large flying foxes have 1.5 meter wingspans. Flying foxes face endangerment. The extinction of 20% of mammal species will affect all living things. Bats control pests that damage crops. If bats went extinct, insects would take farmland. Health problems would break out. What we eat today would disappear. Various animals need bats’ calories to live. Bats carry seeds and pollinate flowers. Many ecosystems would die without this. Animals at the food chain’s bottom would starve without plants. Plants provide food and cover. If plants die off, other species die. This causes ecosystem collapse. Bats eat night insects. Mosquitoes and diseases would be more common without bats. We would need more healthcare. Bats face habitat destruction. Climate change, invasive species and other stresses threaten them. Concerted action is needed. Or populations will fall, driving species extinct.
Are bats rare?
Bats first appeared on Earth 50 million years ago. Today there are over 1,300 species worldwide and 47 species in the United States. What is the rarest bat species? The sheath-tailed bat is possibly the rarest bat species in the world with only 30-100 individuals left.
The second largest order of mammals after rodents, bats make up about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with over 1,400 species. In general, megabats have longer snouts, larger eye sockets and smaller ears, giving them a more dog-like appearance. This is the source of their nickname “flying foxes”. Among microbats, longer snouts are associated with nectar-feeding while vampire bats have reduced snouts to accommodate large incisors and canines.
Bats are relatively long-lived, some surviving up to 20 or even 30 years in the wild. By hanging upside down, bats are in an appropriate position for quick flight takeoff in case of danger or if a food source is present. Unlike birds, most bats cannot take off from the ground. Rather they must fall two to three feet into flight because of their anatomy.
The Honduran white bat has distinctive, entirely white fur which is only found in six of the roughly 1,300 known bat species. These bats are commonly called Cotton Ball Bats, but their official name is the Caribbean White Tent-Making Bat or the White Honduran Bat. Honduran white bats have distinct skin coloration with grey or snow-white colored fur.