Chiroptera

Chiroptera, from Greek χείρ (kheír, “hand”) and Greek πτερόν (pterón, “wing”), means “hand-like wings”, in reference to the fact that these animals wings are formed from four elongated “fingers” covered by a cutaneous membrane.

Common names of members

Bats.

Distribution

All continents, except polar regions and some isolated islands.

Size

They vary in size. Most are small (less than 25 g in weight), but others may have 180 cm of wingspan.

Morphology

Some have longer snouts, others have reduced snouts, but all of them have long ears, a lot of fur and long wings formed from four elongated fingers covered by a cutaneous membrane. Though, their legs are short with sharp claws on their feet for hanging upside down while resting.

Habitat & Ecology

Different species select different habitats during different seasons, ranging from seasides to mountains and deserts, forests, savannas, grasslands, but they require suitable roosts. Bat roosts can be found in hollows, crevices, foliage, and even human-made structures, and include "tents" the bats construct with leaves.

Diet

Different bat species have different diets, including insects, nectar, pollen, fruit and even vertebrates. They may be insectivorous, nectarivores, frugivores, omnivorous or hematophagous.

Reproduction

Most bat species are polygynous, where males mate with multiple females, but there are polygynandry systems too, where multiple males mate with multiple females. Females are responsible for most of the parenting care. Males responsible for feeding and protecting young. Newborn bats cannot fly so they stay in the dwell or climb on their mothers. Usually they can fly after 2-4 weeks.