Gourt > Science > Biology > Flora and Fauna > Animalia > Chordata > Mammalia > Chiroptera (3)
Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera. Their most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammal in the world naturally capable of flight; other mammals, such as flying squirrels and gliding phalangers, can glide for limited distances but are not capable of true sustainable flight. The word Chiroptera can be translated from the Greek words for "hand 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.
There are estimated to be about 1,100 species of bats worldwide: about 20% of all mammal species.
About 70 percent of bats are insectivorous. Most of the remainder feed on fruits and their juices; three bat species eat blood and some prey on vertebrates. These bats include the leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae) of central America and South America, and the related bulldog bats (Noctilionidae) that feed on fish. There are at least two known species of bat that feed on other bats: the Spectral Bat or American False Vampire bat and the Ghost Bat of Australia.
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Bats :: Mammals
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RT @yimjsj: http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Chiroptera/Pteropodidae/Pteropus/Pteropus-poliocephalus.html (Re:Gray-Head ...
LiShuhui (LiShuhui) Sun, 20 Dec 2009 04:40:00 -0000
RT @yimjsj: http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Chiroptera/Pteropodidae/Pteropus/Pteropus-poliocephalus.html (Re:Gray-Head ...
http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Chiroptera/Pteropodidae/Pteropus/Pteropus-poliocephalus.html (Re:Gray-Headed Flying Fox)
yimjsj (yimjsj) Sat, 19 Dec 2009 14:38:20 -0000
http://thewebsiteofeverything.com/animals/mammals/Chiroptera/Pteropodidae/Pteropus/Pteropus-poliocephalus.html (Re:Gray-Headed Flying Fox)
Chiroptera: Bats - Detailed description of the order and its families and genera from Walker's Mammals of the World by Ronald Nowak.
Australasian Bat Society - Includes species lists, information on threatened species, the Australian Bat Action Plan, images, and calls.
Bat Atlas - Information and photographs of 'flying-foxes' in Australia.
Meta Description: [ BatAtlas Australia. Flying-foxes in Australia. Record your knowledge of local flying-fox colonies. ]
Bat Call Library - Includes species accounts, software, audio files and spectrographs, research news, and links. University of New Mexico.
Bat Planet - Bourges Museum - Studies life of bats in the wild. Site in French and English with many pictures.
Meta Description: [ Bourges museum of natural history studies the behavior of bats in the wild.It's part of the international bat network. ]
Bat Thematic Unit - A thematic resource on bats for students, teachers, and anyone interested in flying mammals.
Batcall Directory - Southeastern Australia bat call directory, with other publications and links to related information resources.
Bats in Australia - Details of 90+ native species, with photos, ranges, roosts, diet and conservation status. Australian Museum Online.
Meta Description: [ Bats - Now open at the Australian Museum ]
Brain Museum - Chiroptera - Online resource of mammalian brains which covers 16 species of bat, some with photos and further information.
British Bats - Describes species found in Britain and provides information about echolocation, ecology, and conservation of this mammal.
Meta Description: [ British Bats ]
Chiroptera - Bats - Introduction to the species, characteristics, distribution, and references. From the Tree of Life project.
Desert Bats - Includes color photos, scientific names, common names, description, behavior, range, habitats, and life cycle.
Meta Description: [ All about those flying desert mammals, bats, includes color photos, scientific names, common names, description, behavior, range, habitats and life cycle. ]
How Bats Work - Illustrated guide to bats and how they help humans.
Meta Description: [ Bats are the only mammals that can fly, and they live much of their lives hanging upside down. Learn about bat wings, bats and echolocation, bat caves and bat myths. ]
Introduction to Chiroptera - Life history, ecology, fossil record, systematics, and morphology of bats.
North American Symposium on Bat Research - Scientific society which promotes the study of the biology of bats by holding an annual meeting of scientists, students, and the public from around the world.
Meta Description: [ Scientific organization which
holds an annual meeting on the biology of bats (Chiroptera) ]
Order Chiroptera - Taxonomy of bats from the Animal Diversity Web.
Philippine Bats - Details and photos of the six families found in the region. Includes details of distribution and habitats.
Swiss Bat Center - Database of more than 9000 scientific bibliographic references. In French and English.
Meta Description: [ Centre chauves-souris Suisse occidentale (Centre de coordination ouest pour l'étude et la protection des chauves-souris); Swiss bat center, Western Switzerland ]
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Texas Bats - Full checklist of 32 species, with links to detailed species accounts.
The Bats of Britain - Photos and species accounts. Includes identification key.
University of Bristol Bat Ecology and Bioacoustics Lab - Resources and research on the reproductive and foraging ecology of bats, echolocation, conservation, interactions between bats and moths, and bioacoustics.
Meta Description: [ Bat Ecology & Bioacoustics Lab, School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol ]
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