The bat or bat (in English: bat) is a small mammal, distinguished from other mammals by its ability to fly. The bat belongs to the order Chiroptera, which means winged hands in Greek. This is because the structure of the bat's open wing is similar to the composition of the human hand with membranes connecting the four fingers and the thumb remaining free and not connected to the rest of the fingers. The bat uses the free front finger and its hind limbs to attach to trees or caves upside down; so that his head and body hang down. Bats, like other mammals, reproduce by giving birth, suckle their young, and cover their bodies with hair, except for the wings. There are an estimated 1,100 species of bats worldwide, and they represent approximately one-fifth of all mammals.
Types of bats Bats are divided into two main groups, namely: [1][2] Large bats, or fruit bats (in English: Megachiroptera or Megabats): There are approximately 170 species of large bats that spread in Asia and Africa, and it is not required that they be large bats Really big in size, in fact there are bats that belong to this group although they are smaller in size than some small bats. Large bats feed on fruits, pollen, flower nectar, and sometimes insects, and differ from small bats in that they do not use bio-sonars (echo monitoring) to determine their direction.
Except for the Egyptian fruit bat. The largest type of large bat is the flying fox bat, which weighs 998 g, and the distance between its wings is between 1.5-1.8 m. As for the smallest type, it is the long-tongued fruit bat, which weighs 14 g, and the distance between its wings is 25.4 cm.
Small bats (in English: Microchiroptera or microbats): There are approximately 800 species of small bats that are found on all continents except Antarctica. Most of the small bats feed on insects, and a few of them eat fruits, nectar or small animals, and some drink the blood of large animals. The largest of the small bats is the false vampire bat, which weighs between 145-190g, and the distance between its wings is one meter, while the smallest bat is the bumblebee, which weighs 2g, and the distance between its wings is 3cm. Small bats have characteristics that distinguish them from large bats, including:
Bio sonar is used to determine its direction. It lacks a claw on the second toe of the forelimbs. Its ears do not form a closed ring, but rather the tips are separated from each other at the base of the ear. It lacks the presence of underfur, but it has protective hairs, and it can be naked.
Bat breed
The method of reproduction of the bat differs according to the species to which it belongs and the environment in which it lives. In general, the information available on the methods of reproduction of bats is limited. due to its diversity and spread; Which makes studying it difficult. Some female bats go through the estrus cycle (ie the period in which they show their willingness to mate) once or twice a year, and some females have multiple estrus cycles. Male bats flirt with females in several ways, including: singing, spreading and displaying wings, and extending the long hair that is on the top of the head.
Mating occurs in the species of North American, northern Eurasia, and horseshoe bats in the fall, then they hibernate for the winter, and the female stores the sperm inside her reproductive system until the advent of spring, the onset of the warm season, and the presence of an abundance of food, then the female wakes up and ovulation occurs, and the stored sperm is used to fertilize the egg ; This is to increase the chances of the young to grow and survive
The length of the pregnancy period of the female bat depends on the environment in which the female lives and its temperature. For example, the pregnancy period of the paper-nosed bat is three months, and the pregnancy period of the female flying fox ranges between 5-6 months, and more than five months in the vampire bat. A female night bat, her pregnancy period ranges between 6-14 weeks.
In some species, pregnant females migrate when their due date approaches to special settlements (nurseries) that are warmer, include only pregnant females, and do not receive non-pregnant males or females. The female gives birth while hanging from her feet, and the newborn is held by her wings to prevent it from falling to the ground. Most bats give birth to one young, and some, such as the female big brown bat, may give birth to twins, and some may give birth to between 1-4 young, such as the eastern red bat, and some females can conceive twice a year.
A young bat is born blind, deaf, and devoid of or little hair, and the birth weight is between one-sixth to one-third of the mother's weight. That is, between 0.22-370 grams, and the hind legs are well developed, and the young use them to attach to the mother or to the roost, and the wings are incompletely developed. Young females suckle from the mammary glands that are located in the chest area in some species, or in the underarm area in others.
In addition, some species have false nipples for the young to attach to their mouth during the flight of the mother. The young are often weaned after five or six weeks in the small bat species, and five months in the Indian flying fox. Mothers leave the nursery in search of food, and they may carry their young with them for a short period of time, but most of the young are left hanging on the wall or ceiling of the nursery, and when the mother returns, she is able to distinguish her young from among the millions of bats that are similar in shape; Through their sounds, their smell, and her recollection of where she left them.
The young reach sexual maturity in the first or second year of life, but it is known that the mortality of young bats is high compared to adults; Because they fell from the ceilings or were injured during their first attempts to fly, in addition to diseases and disorders resulting from genetic mutations.
The importance of bats
Bats are of great importance in human life, including: [3][4] They pollinate many tropical and subtropical plants and trees, such as: figs, avocados, bananas, breadfruit, mangoes, peaches, and dates. Devouring large numbers of insects, each bat eats an estimated half of its weight in insects. This helps control large numbers of pests that damage crops and reduce the spread of diseases. It produces dung rich in phosphorous and nitrogen, which is used as a natural fertilizer in many countries of the world.
Artifacts and fossils in the caves are covered in bat dung; Which helps to save it. Some types of bats, such as flying foxes, are a source of food in some parts of Southeast Asia and some Pacific islands. Bats are of great importance for scientific research purposes. Where some physiological aspects of the bat are studied, such as: long-distance migration, winter hibernation, complex temperature regulation, and directional inference using sound.
On the other hand, bats have some harm, such as: the vampire bat causes small wounds to livestock in some parts of tropical America, and these wounds are ideal sites for parasites to lay their eggs in. The vampire bat transmits rabies and trypanosomiasis to livestock. Large colonies of bats that inhabit homes and public buildings in the tropics cause nuisance with their sounds, smell, and droppings.