Why does a bat have wings? How do bats live?
This animal is the only mammal that nature has awarded with the ability to move through the air. Its presence can be found everywhere on the planet, except in the Arctic and highlands. These amazing creatures appeared 50 million years ago, and today more than seven hundred varieties of flying animals are known.
General information about bats
The animal belongs to the bats. This is an order of mammals in which the wings and forelimbs form a single unit. Mice have very long fingers, which serve as the frame for their membranous wings. This feature distinguishes them from birds. While birds can soar without moving their outstretched wings, bats are forced to constantly flap them. Average travel speed is about 15 km/h,
and during hunting all 60 km/h.
The landing style of mice is also completely different from that of birds. In a short time they slow down and immediately take a vertical position, clinging to the surface with their tenacious paws, upside down.
Bats do not build nests; they feed mainly in flight. It will take a mouse no more than an hour to catch a couple hundred mosquitoes.
White batThe tailless or Honduran white mouse has one of the smallest dimensions of the entire flying family, only up to 4.5 cm
in the case.
The animal’s ears are also small, its nose has an unusual shape and important functions: it is an echolocator, that is, it focuses and amplifies the signals sent.
The white mouse's habitat is not limited to Honduras. She also lives in Central American countries (Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Panama). For living, they use the heliconia plant, gnawing holes in it so that the hanging ends form a kind of umbrella. Diet: fruits.
They form families of 5-6 heads, but can also create numerous clans. They breed once a year. One female gives birth to only one calf. Hog-nosed bat This specimen is also called the bumblebee mouse. It was discovered in 1973, and its dimensions are even smaller than the Honduran white (body - 3.3 cm,
In addition to its size, a characteristic feature of the animal is its nose, surprisingly similar to a pig’s snout. The ears are large, but there is no tail at all (in the only species of all bats).
Residence area: Thailand and a few neighboring territories. Settles in limestone caves and has group hunting skills. Does not fly further than 1000 m from the place of residence.They look for food in bamboo and teak thickets. It is not known exactly how this species reproduces, but it is assumed that pregnancy is singleton and no more than once a year.
Vechernitsa
One of the largest families of night shadows. It has 8 species with 13 subspecies. Inhabits the lands of North Africa and European countries. The largest bat of all bats. Can grow up to 50 cm.The animal settles in dense deciduous plantings and ignores open space.
Noctules fly out to hunt at dusk and in the predawn hours. They eat beetles and butterflies, but especially large individuals attack small birds. In addition to the largest sizes, they also have the fastest flight. Speed - 60km/h at an altitude of 100 m.This species does not like frost, so it migrates to warm lands for the winter, covering about 1000 km.There may be two, rarely three cubs in a litter.
Flying fox and dog
So, and also a fruit mouse, they call a whole species of bats - fruit bats. In truth, the structure and development of fruit bats fits the description of herbivorous primates more than insectivorous flying creatures.
Families differ from each other in diet, wing structure, and sensory organs. Mice have echolocation, fruit bats have vision. The nickname “flying dog” or “flying fox” was assigned to mice because of their muzzle, which with its elongated shape resembles the muzzle of a dog or a red-haired cunning dog.
These are large animals: up to 40-42 cm in size,and weighing almost a kilogram. Wingspan up to 1.7 m.Despite their size, the animals are completely harmless; they eat only fruit pulp and flower nectar. For which they received the nickname “fruit”. They sleep with their heads down. Moreover, on cold nights they use the wing as a blanket, and on hot days as a fan. They give birth to one cub per year.
They settle in large colonies among trees in tropical Asian countries (Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Laos, etc.). They are not found in our country. They can cause great damage to garden fruit plantations on farm lands.
Smooth-nosed bat
There are more than 315 species in this mouse family. They do not differ in any special characteristics of appearance, they only have a smooth muzzle without cartilage growths. Distributed wherever there are trees. There are 37 species of smooth-nosed bat in Russia.
They remain awake at twilight or at night, hunting insects. Some species catch and eat fish. In winter they hibernate; only some subspecies fly to warmer climes. One litter brings 1-2 children, rarely they can bring 3-4.
Ushan
The name says it all: these mice have large locator ears. When the animals sleep, they hide them under their wings. The wings are short and wide, thanks to which the animal flutters and can even hover for a short time. The sizes are small - 5-6 cm.
The habitat is extensive: from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific, northern Asian territories, North Africa. The diet consists of butterflies, mosquitoes, beetles and other nocturnal insects. The offspring is 1, less often 2 cubs per year.
Nocturnal
The short-eared mouse, also called the bat, is one of the subspecies of the smooth-nosed variety. It differs from other families of bats in its preference for complete darkness. Nocturnal bats fly out to hunt in the dead of night, when pitch darkness sets in.
This species of beautiful chiroptera is the most adapted of all to any living conditions, except for the Arctic cold. Therefore, it is distributed throughout the globe, except for the Arctic. Eats insects, gives birth to one, maximum two babies per year.
Horseshoe bats
These fliers got their name because of the horseshoe-shaped cartilaginous growth around their nose. This structure allows them to send echolocation signals through their nostrils. They live in the Eastern Hemisphere, “Russian” individuals inhabit only the territory of the Caucasus.
They begin hunting immediately after sunset and are most active in the first half of the night. Insectivores. The annual litter is only one cub.
Bulldog bats
This mouse tribe has special wings: narrow, long and pointed. This allows them to swing higher in flight. Body length from 4 to 14 cm.They inhabit the tropics on both hemispheres of the globe.
They live in groups. Colonies can be several dozen, or up to a million animals. They have very intense echolocation and rapid movement in flight. The only one of all bat species that breeds 2-3 times a year. There is one baby per litter.
Vampires - bats
They feed on fresh blood of livestock and birds. Extreme hunger can force a person to attack. Echolocation is poorly developed, but there are excellent receptors with infrared radiation (helps to determine the most defenseless area on the skin) and a hearing aid. They inhabit the territories of South and Central America.
Video "8 interesting facts about bats"
Taxonomy on Wikispecies |
Images on Wikimedia Commons |
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An insectivorous bat can eat up to 200 mosquitoes in an hour of hunting.
Lifestyle
Although bats are divided into many species and live in different natural environments, their habits are surprisingly similar. Almost all of them are nocturnal, and during the day they sleep hanging upside down. Bats do not build nests. Bats are capable of falling into torpor, accompanied by a decrease in metabolic rate, respiration rate and heart rate; many are capable of falling into long-term seasonal hibernation.
Spreading
The range of bats practically coincides with the range of the order Chiroptera.
Using echolocation
Bats detect objects blocking their path by emitting sounds inaudible to humans and picking up their echoes reflected from objects. Before the discovery of ultrasonic echolocation, bats were thought to have extrasensory perception. They were deprived of the ability to use their vision, their wings were covered with thick varnish to deprive them of the ability to feel air currents, and still they avoided obstacles located in the experimental chamber.
Research by Dr. O. Henson, an anatomist at Yale University, has shown that when reconnaissance ultrasounds are emitted, the muscles in bats' ears close the pinna to prevent damage to the hearing system.
During flight, bats sing songs using complex combinations of syllables at high frequencies (due to their ability to echolocate). They create ultrasonic waves from 40 to 100 kHz. The call of the Brazilian folded lip consists of 15 to 20 syllables. When courting a female, each male sings his own song, although in general the melodies of all songs are similar. The difference lies in the individual combination of different syllables. Complex voice messages are used not only for courtship, but also to identify each other, indicate social status, determine territorial boundaries, when raising offspring and when countering individuals who have invaded someone else's territory. According to biologist Michael Smotherman, no other mammal except humans has the ability to communicate using such complex vocal sequences. The vocal center, responsible for organizing complex sequences of syllables, is located slightly higher in bats than in humans, and scientists cannot yet determine exactly where it is located.
Bats that feed on fish (for example, the Mexican fish-eating mouse) patrol the water surface at night, emitting very strong echolocation signals. However, these signals do not penetrate the water column. The mouse will not detect the fish underwater, but will immediately find it if the fish sticks out at least a small part of its body from the water.
Echolocation of bats varies among different families. Horseshoe bats emit signals through their nose, and these signals are short (50-100 ms) ultrasonic bursts with a constant frequency of 81-82 kHz, but at the end of the signal the frequency drops sharply to 10-14 kHz. And smooth-nosed bats emit significantly shorter (2-5 ms) signals through their mouths with a frequency that during this time drops from 130 to 30-40 kHz.
Bats are able to detect obstacles made of wires at a distance of 17 meters. The detection range depends on the wire diameter. A wire with a diameter of 0.4 mm will be found from a distance of 4 meters, and a wire with a diameter of 0.08 mm from 50 cm. The length of typical bat locating signals is about 4 mm. However, the mouse reacts not only to the thickness, but also to the length of the wire, with the result that if the segment is long enough, the wire will be detected.
Bats in culture
Corynorhinus townsendii
Main article: Chiroptera in culture
A bat is a chimera, a monstrous, impossible creature, a symbol of dreams, nightmares, ghosts, a sick imagination... The general irregularity and monstrosity seen in the body of a bat, the ugly anomalies in the structure of the senses, allowing the disgusting animal to hear with its nose and see with its ears - everything this, as if on purpose, was adapted to ensure that the bat was a symbol of mental disorder and madness. French naturalist A. Toussenel, 1874 |
Danger
According to WHO, bats are a natural reservoir of the Marburg and Ebola viruses, which cause fatal diseases (a particularly dangerous infection). These viruses are included in the list of the most dangerous known pathogenic viruses for humans. There is evidence that bats are involved in transmission. [ source?] This was reported in the November 2012 WHO Newsletter.
see also
- Popular science film "Wildlife Predators: Bats"
Notes
Sources
- Naumov N. P., Kartashev N. N. Zoology of vertebrates. - Part 2.- Reptiles, birds, mammals: A textbook for biologists. specialist. Univ.- M.: Higher. school, 1979. - 272 p., ill.
- Mosiyash S. S. Flying at night. - M.: Knowledge, 1985.
- WHO fact sheet November 2012 Marburg hemorrhagic fever.
Literature
- // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: In 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional ones). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.
Links
Wikimedia Foundation.
2010.
See what “Bats” are in other dictionaries: BATS, mammals (order Chiroptera). Body length from 2.5 to 14 cm. About 800 species, distributed wherever there is woody vegetation, especially numerous in the tropics and subtropics. Vision is poorly developed, they can navigate by catching... ...
Modern encyclopedia Suborder of mammals of the order Chiroptera. Body length from 2.5 to 14 cm. Approx. 700 species (17 families), widely distributed, numerous in the tropics and subtropics. Caves, tree hollows, ruins, buildings serve as shelters for bats... ...
Big Encyclopedic Dictionary - (Microchiroptera), suborder of bats. Known since the Oligocene. In contrast, fruit bats are smaller in size (body length from 2.5 to 14 cm) and have more advanced adaptations for flight. The large tubercle of the humerus in most L. m. forms... ...
- (Microchiroptera) suborder of mammals of the order Chiroptera (See Chiroptera). They differ in appearance from representatives of the second suborder of bats (See Bats) in their small size (body length up to 14 cm) and in the fact that the second finger of the front ... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia
Or bats (Chiroptera) are a order of mammals with the following main distinctive features: the bones of the forelimbs are greatly elongated; between their toes, between the forelimbs, the body and the hind limbs, and for the most part also... ... Encyclopedic Dictionary F.A. Brockhaus and I.A. Ephron
Suborder of mammals of the order Chiroptera. Body length from 2.5 to 14 cm. About 700 species (17 families), widely distributed, numerous in the tropics and subtropics. Caves, tree hollows, ruins, buildings serve as shelters for bats... ... encyclopedic Dictionary
Suborder of mammals neg. bats. Dl. bodies from 2.5 to 14 cm. Approx. 700 species (17 families), widely distributed, numerous in the tropics and subtropics. Shelters for L. m. are caves, tree hollows, ruins, human buildings, etc.... ... Natural science. encyclopedic Dictionary
The bats- ♠ A harbinger of serious troubles for which you are not ready. Imagine knocking down bats with a hot poker or shooting them with a bow (see Poker, Bow) ... Big family dream book
THE BATS- ♠ See Wild animals... Big family dream book
The bats- The fate of the unfortunate person who sees this ugly animal in a dream is terrible. Sorrows and disasters from many evils await you. The death of someone close to you or serious injuries is possible after a dream in which these monsters appear to you. White bat - almost... ...Miller's Dream Book
One of the most interesting and mysterious living creatures, the true nature of which does not at all correlate with the mythical ominous rumors and ideas of our “dark” ancestors. In fact, bats are more beneficial than other members of the human race.
And we will try to talk about these amazing nocturnal animals, or more precisely, about how they live, where they spend the cold winter and when bats wake up after hibernation.
Who are they, creatures of evil or faithful helpers?
Bats (lat. Microchiroptera ) belong to the order Chiroptera of the cohort of placental mammals. These are the only animals in the world capable of prolonged flight.
This is a very extensive order in terms of species, and the sizes of its representatives range from 3 to 50 cm in length, and from 5 to 80 cm in wingspan. But we will consider as a sample not large tropical specimens, but small species inhabiting our European regions, the dimensions of which usually do not exceed the size of a sparrow or tit.
These flyers can live 5-10 years and even longer. Zoologists claim that some bats under scientific supervision lived up to 20-25 years, and this is by no means fiction.
Bats cannot be confused with any other living creature on planet Earth. They have a unique appearance that most may find repulsive and sinister.
The thin limbs of bats resemble a bone frame on which a leather membrane is stretched, forming wings. These creatures have very thick fluffy fur on the body, usually lighter in the front.
The head and muzzle have a truly bizarre structure, with which, in addition to the wings, all the fables about the otherworldly nature of these creatures in the old days were usually associated. And in some ways we can understand both our ancestors and modern, more mannered representatives of the fair sex, who are frightened by just the sight of these funny creatures on TV screens.
The muzzle resembles a pig's snout with large ears, like that devil from the well-known Soviet film adaptation of “Evenings on a Farm near Dikanka” performed by G. Millyar. And two fangs protruding from the upper jaw can cause even greater fear and mistrust.
It must be said that, despite very poor eyesight, these creatures are quite nimble and perfectly oriented in space during flight. In this they are helped by echolocation, that is, the ability to catch the reflection of ultrasonic pulses from surrounding objects.
These animals feed mainly on insects, which they catch in flight with extraordinary dexterity. Tropical bats also eat fruit, and among them are vampire bloodsuckers. However, let's return to our insectivorous night flyers.
Bats are more useful animals for humans. Harm on their part may only consist of the transmission of some dangerous diseases, but this, again, applies to a greater extent to tropical species.
The benefits of bats are especially appreciated in rural areas, where overnight a flock of these creatures can greatly help a farmer who is always suffering from harmful insects.
Also, these creepy-faced flyers serve as plant pollinators, carrying plant pollen on themselves and distributing it over a wide area.
Hibernation of bats
One may wonder why in winter one cannot see the flickering shadows of bats in the frosty darkness of the night, as in summer. In fact, the question will not be very appropriate, since these creatures cannot stand the cold.
In addition, these are insectivorous animals and, in addition to the unacceptable temperature of the outdoor environment, they are faced with the problem of loss of food sources.
Most species of bats, pipistrelle bats, for example, with the onset of autumn cold weather, leave the places where they lived and fed in the summer, and migrate to warmer latitudes, such as the southern regions of China and other Asian countries, where the winter season is much milder and the temperature is not falls below 2-3 degrees above zero.
But some species of these night hunters, such as bats and long-eared bats, show real patriotism and stay for the winter.
At the same time, they stop all active activity and fall into hibernation. But it must be said that this is not a bear's endless winter. Bats may wake up from time to time in order to assess the situation, especially if it is not conducive to continuing a further stay in the monastery chosen for the winter.
But still, in the absence of irritating factors, these animals can fall into deep anabiosis and sleep soundly for 2-5 months. At the same time, the biorhythm of their life slows down very sharply. The heart rate decreases by 50 times (!), and the body temperature drops to 4 degrees, while the animal can take one breath every 10-15 seconds.
Immersion in suspended animation in bats has an exclusively protective “adaptive” nature. That is, it is the physiological adaptability of the body to change its rhythm of life during periods of unfavorable living conditions. This is how they survive during periods of lack of food and low temperatures.
Hollow trees, attics of houses, caves and dungeons, empty mines, insulated cellars and vegetable storages can serve as winter shelter for sleeping bats. Simply put, they need a place inaccessible to other living creatures with a temperature of at least 8 degrees, without drafts and with high humidity.
The duration of hibernation can vary among different species from 2-2.5 months to six months, and even longer.
Bats usually hibernate in large families, with their paws hooked onto something horizontal, hanging upside down and wrapping their wings around themselves. If you take a sleeping animal in your hands, you might think that it is dead. But after a while, having warmed up in warm hands, he will realize that he is in trouble and will definitely try to escape. Having been released, after some time he will again join his sleeping brothers.
Bats have an excellent memory, and they perfectly remember the location of that cave or that attic where they managed to safely overwinter the last cold period. They actually develop a very strong attachment to their usual hibernation place.
And we are talking here not only about a specific geographical point on the map of the area. Moreover, the researchers were able to notice that the awakened bat tries to take the very place in the “winter apartment” where it slept before awakening.
To the question of when bats wake up after terrestrial hibernation, we note that much depends on the species and specific circumstances. Representatives of the bat order, more resistant to cold, can wake up as early as March, if the beginning of spring is not too wintry and frosty. More heat-loving species, such as moths, can sleep a little longer, until mid-May, especially if the winter has been long.
At the same time, when waking up, the animals shake for some time, as it might seem from the outside. They are shaking as if with a fever, but this is not at all due to the fact that the bat is freezing. No, this is how their body warms up after winter suspended animation.
By contracting muscles, animals very quickly and sharply increase their body temperature from several degrees to 30. After which the bat begins its new summer season of active labor and reproduction.
Take care of our little brothers
It should be said that the period of hibernation, especially in urban conditions, is the most dangerous and risky period in the life of bats. People often find their “winter apartments” and destroy them, driving half-asleep animals out into the cold, from which they quickly die.
Numerous explorers of caves and dungeons are also guilty of such deeds, especially where they are of historical, cultural or material interest.
Sleepy bats are absolutely defenseless in winter, and their destruction during hibernation can be called a crime.
In general, a person, as always, harms himself.
Conclusion
So we met such a wonderful and cute creature as a bat.
During World War II, the Americans developed a project to bomb Japan using bats. At a temperature of 4 °C, when the animal hibernates, it was planned to attach an incendiary time bomb to its body. Already from the plane, thousands of bats had to descend from the planes on self-expanding parachutes, and after waking up, fly into hard-to-reach places of various buildings, setting them on fire. Although tests confirmed the effectiveness of this “bombing” method, the project was eventually curtailed, including due to the appearance of a nuclear bomb.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly. Bats fly through the air in such a unique way that they cannot be confused with almost other flying animals. Their wings are thin and large, like a mini parachute. Bats seem to constantly push off in the air; this movement is called “propulsion.”
Vampire bats do not suck blood. They drink it greedily. But don’t worry, there are only three species of bats in the world that drink blood. They are found, as a rule, in Central or South America, and drink blood mainly from animals, such as cows.
Bats are not obese. These creatures have an unusually fast metabolism - they can digest bananas, mangoes, and berries in about 20 minutes.
Over the past 50 years, fewer than 10 people have contracted rabies from North American bats. Many films often show that bats are carriers of diseases and toxic substances. But this is not true. Bats try to avoid people, much less attack them. If you are nevertheless bitten by a bat, you should consult a doctor, but you should not immediately prepare for the funeral; most likely, nothing serious will happen to you.
Bats navigate at night using ecolocation. Bats do not have good vision, especially at night, so during their flight they rely more on their hearing than on their sight. Bats send sound signals and listen to changes in the echo, thanks to this they navigate in the air. Bats are nocturnal animals, probably because at night it is easier for them to get food and hide from their opponents. Some bats can navigate at night, but still the vast majority go out to hunt only under the veil of night.
Bats make up one fourth of the mammalian class. And this is not fiction. A quarter of all mammals are bats. There are more than 1,100 species of these animals in the world.
More than 50 percent of bat species in the United States are critically endangered. People only start caring about something when it disappears. Human activity forced many mice to leave their habitats, some of them never found another shelter, others simply did not survive in the new environment.
It's a cold night and you're frozen? Then find some bats and learn how to curl up with them. Bats keep themselves warm even in harsh weather with their wings. They wrap the wings around the body and create complete insulation, thus creating a warm mini tent.
Perhaps bats will save millions of people. Scientists have discovered that an anticoagulant found in the saliva of vampire bats could soon be used to treat people with heart disease. Scientists around the world are trying to "copy" enzymes found in vampire bat saliva in order to treat many heart diseases and prevent heart attacks.
Bats produce only one offspring per year.
The common bat tends to live much longer than a dog. The average lifespan of a bat is constantly changing; the longest-living species are predominantly the brown bat species, which sometimes live for more than 30 years.
Bats are very clean. In general, bats spend much more time on their appearance than most teenagers spend in front of the mirror. They clean themselves and their partners very meticulously, licking and scratching themselves for hours.
Animals periodically stop making sounds for a split second in order to hear the leader’s signal and choose the direction of flight.
Some species of bats feed on nectar.
The scientific name of bats is bats, from the Greek cheir (hand) + pteron (wing).
The word "bat" appeared in 1570.
In 600 BC. e. Greek fabulist Aesop told a fable about a bat who borrowed money to start his own business. Her plan failed, and the bat was forced to hide during the day to avoid being seen by those from whom she borrowed money. According to Aesop, this is why bats are only active at night.
Bats are divided into two main groups: large bats, which feed mainly on fruit, and small bats, which feed on insects, frogs, blood, fish, lizards and birds.
Bats that feed on frogs can tell the difference between harmless and poisonous frogs by hearing the call of a male frog.
Scientists believe that bats first appeared 65-100 million years ago, at the same time as dinosaurs. Large bats are more closely related to primates (including humans) than to their smaller relatives.
In China and Japan, bats are symbols of happiness. In Chinese, the words "bat" and "luck" are pronounced the same - "fu".
The bat's wings form finger bones covered with thin skin. The wing membranes make up about 95% of the body surface. They help regulate body temperature, blood pressure, water balance and gas exchange.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly. The difference between bats and flying squirrels is that bats control their flight, while flying squirrels can only glide from tree to tree.
Unlike birds, which flap their entire forelimb, bats flap with their splayed toes.
Scientists are using an anticoagulant found in the saliva of vampire bats to treat stroke victims and patients with various heart conditions.
Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. Many bats have good vision, and some species are even sensitive to ultraviolet radiation.
But if their eyesight doesn't impress you, their hearing will definitely amaze you - they can hear frequencies from 20 to 120,000 Hz. In comparison, humans can only hear between 20 and 20,000 Hz; and dogs - from 40 to 60,000 Hz.
Bats have the slowest reproductive rate of any mammal their size, and their gestation period also lasts longer than other animals.
Approximately 70% of bats eat insects. On average, a bat can eat more than 600 bugs in an hour - that's the same as the average person eating 20 pizzas in the evening.
The Dracula myth originated in Eastern Europe; however, actual vampire bats are found only in Central and South America.
Bats live on every continent except Antarctica. They live everywhere from the Arctic Circle to Argentina and the southern tip of South Africa.
Vampire bats are the only mammals that feed only on blood.
Contrary to popular belief, vampire mice do not actually “suck” blood. They “lick” it with their tongues, drinking two teaspoons of blood per night. Blood moves through the mouth through two channels under the tongue. Vampire mice need only red blood cells to live, so about two minutes after the start of the meal, the plasma leaves the mouse’s body in the form of urine.
Vampire bats must drink as much blood every day as they weigh.
The world's largest bat is the giant golden-crowned flying fox, a rare species of fruit-eating bat. Its wingspan is more than one and a half meters.
Bracken Bath Cave in Texas is home to the largest colony of bats in the world. More than 20 million individuals live there, which is twice the population of New York.
According to a survey conducted by Animal Planet, vampire bats are the third most feared animal. Only wolves and gorillas are ahead of them, and piranhas are right behind them.
The short-eared bat's heart rate is only 18 beats per minute during hibernation, compared to 880 when the mouse is active.
Most of us believe that animals, especially mammals, live 10-15 years. However, some species can live up to 30 years in the wild.
Bats belong to the order Chiroptera. It means that both forelimbs transformed into large wings, and the highly elongated fingers serve as a frame for them.
This structure does not allow them to soar like birds, forcing them to constantly flap their wings.
The flight speed of bats can vary from 15 km/h during simple movement, up to 60 km/h while catching insects.
Another distinctive feature of these animals is landing method. In a short period of time, bats need to slow down and sit head down on a horizontal surface. They don't create nests.
REFERENCE! They feed on the fly, catching various insects right in the air. Typically, one animal can catch up to 200 mosquitoes in an hour.
Photo
You can take a closer look at the bats in the photo with the names of the species.
White bat in the photo:
Bulldog Bat:
Bat dog fruit:
Smooth-nosed bat:
Night bat:
Horseshoe bat:
Pig-nosed bat in the photo:
Long-eared bat:
Vampire bat in the photo:
Evening bat:
Varieties
White
Tailless or Honduran white bat - one of the little representatives families. In addition to Honduras, he also lives in Central America - Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama.
Body - up to 4.5 cm long, small ears, unusually shaped nose. Through it, animals produce echolocation - this structure makes it possible to focus and amplify the signals sent.
They live under large heliconia leaves, gnawing holes in them so that the ends, hanging down, form a tent. They eat fruits.
Usually a family of 5-6 bats lives under one leaf, but sometimes several families unite into a large clan. Females give birth one cub per year.
Pig Nose
Hog-nosed bat or bumblebee mouse was discovered in 1973. The bat received its second name due to its size - body no more than 3.3 cm, and weight - up to 2 grams. This is the smallest bat.
In addition, on the muzzle there is a characteristic a nose that resembles a pig's snout. The ears are large, but, unlike other animals of the family, the pig-nosed mouse does not have a tail.
Basic habitat - Thailand and some neighboring lands. Lives in limestone caves and flies out to hunt in groups of 4-5 animals.
Do not move more than 1 km from the place of residence. Looking for insects in bamboo thickets or teak wood. There is no exact data on reproduction; most likely the female gives birth to one cub per year.
Vechernitsa
Evening bats are one of the large genera of bats, which includes 8 species and 13 subspecies. They live in Europe and North Africa, where are the largest bats of their own kind.
Body length - from 10 to 50 cm. It lives mainly in deciduous forests; it does not settle in treeless areas.
Hunts at dusk and dawn, preferring beetles and butterflies. The largest noctules are gigantic, may eat small songbirds.
REFERENCE! They are the fastest flyers - they can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h, rising to a height of up to 100 meters.
They are sensitive to frost, therefore, with the onset of cold weather, they migrate over distances of up to 1000 km. Females give birth to one or two, rarely three cubs.
Flying dog and fox
Flying dogs or flying foxes, the fruit bat is the common name for a whole species of animal, the fruit bat.
In fact, they are not bats, which are insectivorous, but are closer in structure and development to herbivorous primates.
The main differences from each other are - food consumed, wing structure, the use of echolocation in mice and vision in fruit bats.
These animals not found in Russia, their main habitat is the Asian tropical forests of Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Laos and other countries.
They received the nickname "flying dogs" because characteristic elongated muzzle. Adult fruit bats are large in size - body up to 42 cm, wings up to 1.7 meters. Weight up to 900 grams.
They live in large colonies, settling in trees. Eat tropical fruits, especially love bananas, papaya, coconuts, grapes and others.
Due to their gastronomic preferences, fruit bats are called “fruit mice.” The fruits are not eaten, but only suck the juice and pulp out of them.
IMPORTANT! A flock of fruit bats can cause significant damage to a farm by “eating” the fruit on all the trees in the garden.
Animals sleep upside down. You can often observe a picture when on cold nights one wing is used as a blanket, wrapping the entire body, and on hot nights - instead of a fan.
The female gives birth to one cub per year.
Smooth-nosed
Smooth-nosed bats are a large family with more than 318 species.
They got their name due to the fact that they do not have any characteristic distinctive features, the muzzle is smooth without cartilaginous outgrowths.
The smooth-nosed family includes bats, bats, noctules, long-eared bats and many others.
Live all over the world where there is woody vegetation. There are 37 species of such mice found in Russia.
They are active at dusk or at night, when hunt for various insects. Certain types of bats eat fish.
During the cold period, hibernation occurs, but some (such as noctules) fly to warmer places. Females give birth once per season, 1-2, less often 3-4 individuals.
Ushan
Long-eared bats are a type of bat that has large ears, used for echolocation. In sleeping animals they hide under folded wings.
Thanks to its short but wide wings, this animal can flutter and even hover briefly in the air to hunt insects. Body length - 5-6 cm.
Distributed throughout the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, in northern Asia, and North Africa.
They feed on mosquitoes, moths, beetles, and other similar things. insects. The female gives birth to one, less often two, cubs during the year.
Nocturnal
Noctules or short-eared bats are a species of smooth-nosed bat.
REFERENCE! The main difference from all similar animals is that they fly out to hunt very late, after complete darkness. At the same time, the flight itself is slow and calm.
Body length - 3.5-8.5 cm. Distributed Worldwide, except for the Arctic zones.
In general, they are the only species that has adapted to life in absolutely any natural conditions, even fatal to other bats. There are about 19 species in Russia.
They feed on nocturnal insects. The female brings one, or less often two, cubs during the year.
Horseshoe bats
Horseshoe bats are a species of bat that was so named because cartilaginous growth around the nose, looking like a horseshoe.
This structure is necessary for echolocation, the signals of which are emitted through the nostrils. Distributed in the eastern hemisphere, in Russia they live only in the Caucasus.
They eat insects, which are hunted on the fly. They may freeze in place for a short time.
They fly out to hunt about half an hour after sunset, and show activity first half of the night. Females give birth to only one cub during the year.
Bulldogs
Bulldog bats are a family that is different from all other bats more developed wings- they are narrow, long and pointed.
Because of this, the flapping frequency is slightly higher than that of other mice. Average body length - 4-14.5 cm. Live in tropical areas both hemispheres.
They can form groups of several tens to millions of individuals. The flight is rapid, the echoes are very high intensity.
Some species can produce 3 litters per year, consisting of one young each time.
Vampire
IMPORTANT! They are dangerous for people and domestic animals, since during a bite they can transmit rabies and various infectious diseases.
They only eat fresh blood other animals or birds, may occasionally attack and on sleeping people.
Echolocation is poorly developed; when hunting, they rely more on excellent hearing and infrared receptors. With the help of the latter, the least protected area of the skin is determined.
They live in Central and South America.
Conclusion
The world of bats is very diverse. Here you can find both animals of very tiny sizes and individuals with wings over 1.5 meters.
Most bats eat insects, which benefits people and agriculture.
However, there are species that can eat fruit, or even attack sleeping animals and birds for the purpose of extracting blood.
Video
A short film about the species of bats and their life characteristics:
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