Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera (/kaɪˈrɒptərə/; from the Greek χείρ - cheir, "hand" and πτερόν -pteron, "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos can only glide for short distances. Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, as birds do, but instead flap their spread-out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium.

Bats are the second largest group of mammals, representing about 20% of all classified mammal species worldwide, with about 1,240 bat species divided into two suborders: the less specialized and largely fruit-eating megabats, or flying foxes, and the highly specialized and echolocating microbats. About 70% of bat species are insectivores. Most of the rest are frugivores or fruit eaters. A few species, such as the fish-eating bat, feed from animals other than insects, with the vampire bats being hematophagous, or feeding on blood.

Bats are present throughout most of the world, performing vital ecological roles of pollinating flowers and dispersing fruit seeds. Many tropical plant species depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds. Bats are important, as they consume insect pests, reducing the need for pesticides. The smallest bat is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, measuring 29–34 mm (1.14–1.34 in) in length, 15 cm (5.91 in) across the wings, and 2–2.6 g (0.07–0.09 oz) in mass. It is also arguably the smallest extant species of mammal, with the Etruscan shrew being the other contender. The largest species of bat are a few species of Pteropus and the giant golden-crowned flying fox with a weight of up to 1.6 kg (4 lb) and a wingspan of up to 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in).

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat

Images and photos from Wikipedia

These are embedded links to WikiCommons files, click on photos to see author/creator. Used under CC-BY-SA license.

External Links:

• Bat Conservation International (BatCon.org)

• I'm Batman (TED educational animation by Amy Wray)

• Bats of Israel

• ISPON - Bat of Israel (Israel Nature Society)

• The Fruit Bat Rescue Association of Israel: עמותת ע.ט.ל.ף - עזרה וטיפול לעטלפי פירות

And of course, bats inspired Batman...

The comic character of Batman, a crime fighter and a superhero (without superpowers, though) dressed up as a bat (to cast fear in the heart of criminals) has contributed to creating a positive reputation for bats among the general public. The bats are a recurring motif in the Batman lore and are often depicted as nocturnal champions of justice, inspiring Batman to fight injustice and even helping him in his quest against evil-doers.

Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger (both Jewish), of DC Comics.

Batman is a registered trademark of DC Comics and Time Warner, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. The pictures above are fair use for educational purposes.