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Chiroptera
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 Bats |
 Chauves-souris |
 Murciélagos |
| Bats is a mammal in the order Chiroptera. Their most distinguishing feature is that their forelimbs are developed as wings, making them the only mammals in the world naturally capable of flight. There are estimated to be about 1,100 species of bats worldwide, accounting for about 20 percent of all mammal species. About 70 percent of bats are insectivores. Of the remainder, most feed on fruits and their juices. Only three species sustain themselves with blood, some preying on vertebrates: these include the leaf-nosed bats of Central America and South America, and the two bulldog bat species, which feed on fish. At least two known species of bat are cannibalistic, feeding on other bats: the Spectral Bat, also called the American False Vampire bat, and the Ghost Bat of Australia. |
Copyright © 2005-2008 - Bernard Déry. All rights reserved. Reproduction prohibited without permission.