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| Bats |
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| Common
Name: |
bats |
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| Class:
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Mammalia |
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| Order: |
Chiroptera
(hand wing) |
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| Suborder: |
Megachiroptera
& Microchiroptera |
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| Family:
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18 families |
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| Genus
species: |
180
genera, 900 species |
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| Fast
Facts |
| Description:
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| Size:
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Wingspan:
largest - flying foxes 2 meters (78.74 in.)
smallest - bumblebee bat 16 cm (6.24 in.) |
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| Weight:
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14 g
to 1.5 kg (0.5 oz. - 3.3 lb.) |
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| Diet:
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fruits,
flowers, leaves, insects, frogs, fish, small mammals, reptiles, blood
of vertebrates |
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| Gestation: |
1.5
to 9 months depending on the species |
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| Sexual
maturity: |
unknown
for most species; those known range from 6 months to 2 years |
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| Life
span: |
4 to
30 years depending on the species |
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| Range:
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South
America, Africa, Southeast Asia (rainforests); Sahara, Middle East
and Southwest United States (hot arid deserts). All continents except
for Antarctica. |
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| Habitat:
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rainforests,
arid deserts |
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| Population: |
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| Status:
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some
species endangered; some CITES I or II; some not listed. In the United
States nearly 40% of our bat species are listed by USFWS as endangered
species or are candidates for it. |
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| Fun
Facts |
| 1. |
Bats
are the only flying mammals and comprise the second largest order
of mammals in the world. |
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| 2. |
A bat's
grasp is strong enough to hold its entire body weight while its body
hangs upside down. |
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| 3. |
Along
with whales, dolphins, and some shrew species many bats use echolocation
(sonar dependent on pulse sounds and echoes) to identify and track
prey. |
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| 4. |
Just
one insectivorous bat can eat 600 or more mosquitoes in a single hour. |
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| Ecology
and Conservation |
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Fruit
and nectar-eating bats are among the most important seed dispersers
and pollinators of tropical rain forest trees and plants. Many economically
important crops such as bananas, avocados, vanilla, and peaches
are dependent upon bats for pollination. Bats are valuable subjects
for scientific and medical studies. Insectivorous bats are essential
in controlling mosquito populations. Bat guano is a rich source
of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) which is used in the production
of gun powder and explosives and is an excellent fertilizer.
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| Bibliography |
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Fenton,
Brock. Bats. New York: Facts on File, 1992.
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Gotch,
A.F. Mammals- Their Latin Names Explained- A Guide to Animal Classification.
Poole, United Kingdom: Blanford Press, 1979. |
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Hill,
John E., and James D. Smith Bats- A Natural History. Austin,
Texas: University of Texas Press, 1984. |
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Parker,
Sybil P. Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals. Vol. II, New York:
Mc-Graw-Hill, 1990. |
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Tuttle,
Merlin. "They Carry the Seeds that Make the Rain Forests Grow
and the Deserts Bloom." Bat Conservation International, Austin,
1990. |
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| Return
to Animal Bytes |
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