Bats
Uploaded by jarlocke on Sep 26, 2005
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 some have wings. Each adaptation helps them to survive in the particular environment in which they live. Some animals that are members of the same species have adapted and evolved. One adaptation is wings, and they are normally thought to be a feature of birds. One of the only animals that has wings and is not a bird 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. Though other mammals, like the flying squirrel seem to fly but actually glide, the bat is the only mammal that can truly fly (Wimsatt, 1977). There are approximately 900 species of bats known in the world and 40 of them live in the United States and Canada (www.bat-control.com, 2004). The different species of bats consist of many different sizes, shapes, and lifestyles, which is normally determined by their environment. They live all over the world and have drawn the curiosity of millions. Bats also have the unique feature of echolocation, which is a hunting method it uses in order to catch insects and other prey. It also helps them with a sense of direction. Even though bats are labeled as pests and are looked at as dangerous animals, they are helpful in many ways.
The most apparent feature of a bat is the adaptations which enable it to fly. The fore limbs of the bat are built similarly to the general pattern of other mammals. It has an upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand with thumb and four fingers. The difference is the bones of the hand and fingers are elongated which spreads and manipulates the wing. They also contain fur on the body, large ears, claws, and a tail. As we can see here they are mammals but there have been adaptations that have evolved in order for the bat to survive in its environment (Barbour, 1970).
Bats eyesight is not very great. They are known and considered by some to have a “sixth sense” called echolocation, which they use and depend on for...