A Report on Bats.

A Report on Bats

INTRODUCTION

There is an abundant amount of animal species in the

world. They all have adapted and evolved to survive in

their surroundings. Some have grown fins, others legs, and

still others wings. One of the animals that has grown wings

is the bat. The bat is a truly great creature. It has all

the characteristics of mammals while also possessing the

skill of a bird in flight.

There are more than 800 species of bats in the

world. They are of many different sizes, shapes, and

lifestyles. They live all over the world and have drawn the

curiosity of millions. Bats also have the unique feature of

echolocation that it uses to catch insects. Though other

mammals, like the flying squirrel seem to fly but actually

glide, the bat is the only mammal that can truly fly (Lauber

1968).

A BAT'S BODY

Due to the great variety of species of bats some

characteristics vary greatly, but the Little Brown Bat is a

good example of a common bat.

English: Note: this is indicated as a big brown ba...

English: Little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus) in su...

Bat, contained

It has fur on the body, large

naked ears, the rear legs have claws, a tail membrane, and

it has the most distinguishing feature of a bat, wings

(Lauber 1968). The upper arm of the bat is short while the

forearm is very long (Fig. 1). The wrist is very small and

from it comes the thumb and the four longer fingers. The

thumb is short and used for climbing or walking. The

fingers are long and thin. Interlocking the fingers is the

wing. This arrangement of having the fingers in the wing

gives the bat amazing flight maneuverability (Honders 1975).

These bones look similar to a human hand. They are

connected by rubbery skin to the bat's body enveloping all

the fingers but the thumb (Anonymous...