#megachiroptera

[daily-batposting]

Cave Nectar Bat, photographed by Merlin Tuttle, (source)

[gravelyfiendish]

Megachiroptera (Flying Fox) embryos

[gethoce]

Woah look at what i doodled !

YO IT'S MA BABY BAT!!!

This style works so well for them I'm in LOVE

Chiro would adore this for sure! ... and Melem would frame it, hang it on the wall and kiss you on the forehead ~

And Meta Knight would freak out because you totally leaked his baby pics

[martyrbat]

[ID: two mega-bats hanging upside down in front of a transparent background. They both have their wings wrapped around their bodies and are looking at the viewer with big eyes. END ID]

[lesbianralzarek]

wailing inconsolably because i dont live within the range of megachiroptera. if you live in the pink zones and have an active rabies vaccine i need you to live it up for me with the largest flying mammals

[moon-snailsss]

Flying foxes

Basics

Bats make up the taxonomic order Chiroptera. They are traditionally categorized into two groups. There are small micro bats (Microchiroptera) and MUCH larger mega bats (Megachiroptera). Only Micro bats have the ability to use echolocation! Mega bats do not, they actually rely on eyesight and smell to navigate!

Flying foxes or more formally Pteropus is a Genus of megabats which are some of the largest bats in the world! They are often referred to as “fruit bats” or “flying foxes.” I will be referring to them as flying foxes. They can reach a wing span of 5 feet. There are currently 60 extant(living) species of flying foxes! They inhabit, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Australia, East Africa and some islands in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Most flying foxes are nocturnal. Unlike the majority of other bats, flying foxes don’t rely on echolocation to find food! They rely on their keen sense of sight and smell. They fly 9 to 40 miles every night to hunt. When feeding they spit out seeds, enabling plant growth!

Eye sight

As I previously mentioned, flying foxes cant echolocate so they rely on their sense of smell and their sight to hunt! They have really cool eye features/adaptations that enables them to see so well at night! (even better than us!)

Eyesight 101

Every animal has 2 types of cells in their eyes that allow them to see. We have rods, which help us see in low light and detect fast moving objects. They are concentrated in the outer areas of the retina and give us peripheral vision. Rods are 500 to 1,000 times more sensitive to light than cones. The second cells are cones, which allow us to tell the difference between colors and see more detail. There are 3 different cones, which allow us to see red, green, and blue wavelengths of visible light. Since we have all 3 they allow us to see the full color spectrum ( trichromatic vision ).

(Back to flying foxes) Flying foxes don’t have the type of cone to see red wavelengths. This also happens to humans! It’s the same condition that causes us to become red-green colorblind. Everything will appear in a blue or yellow tone. Flying foxes have around 10 times less cones than people, therefore they see less colors. To make up for the lack of cones, they’ve adapted even more rods. This gives flying foxes better low-light vision than people. It allows them to navigate very well at night by using roads, rivers and streetlights.

Chiropterophily

Chiropterophily is the pollination of plants and flowers by bats. More than 500 species of tropical plants are pollinated by nectar+pollen eating bats. There is evidence that trees in the Myrtacaea family have co-evolved with nocturnal foragers and use them to keep genetic diversity over wide ranges. These trees flower and produce nectar at night, and they have bright colored blooms that are easy for flying foxes to locate. Without flying foxes, it would be harder for these trees to maintain genetic diversity over long distances.

Habitat

Flying foxes live in tropical forests, wetlands and swamps. They need to live in large trees as their colonies consist of hundreds to thousands of bats! They live in paperback forests, eucalypt forests, and rainforests.

Diet

Flying foxes are herbivores and frugivores. They thrive off a diverse diet consisting mostly of fruits, leaves, pollen, and nectar. They prefer tropical fruits like bananas, mangoes as well as berries and figs. Flying foxes also consume leaves from a variety of trees and shrubs, and collect pollen from flowers. By feeding on these resources flying foxes aide in the pollination and seed dispersal in their ecosystems. This makes them a keystone species!

Here’s a source that can give you more insight on their eyesight: https://sydneybats.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Flying-foxes_are_very_visible_visual_bats_M_Graydon.pdf

That’s all, I hope you learned something new!!

Ps: The image I used is an Indian flying fox

[robbie-roo]

bats are the freaking cutest! could you tell me something about them? 🦇💞

ABSOLUTELY HOLY SHIT

oh my god you have no idea we just started talking about bats recently in my advanced class!!

so aside from rodents bats contain the most species of mammals they have around 20% of all mammals in their family the Chiroptera (over 1000 species!!) and they're all pretty diverse!!

and I mean SUPER diverse these are one of the groups that people are still finding new species in- prepare for a LONG post this first one as an overview of bats and the next over some specific species I think are neat

OK so they are distributed worldwide (except Antarctica) and obviously have some pretty big adaptations around flight

right now there's some debate going on about classification because of their adaptations- mainly based around echolocation, I'll get into that a little more later on- but the old classification system was the mega bats (megachiroptera), which was only one subgroup, and the micro bats (microchiroptera). The genetics are still iffy and to this day its still a little confusing where everybody belongs but that old way has since been thrown out the window... but still likes to watch what's going on inside if you know what I mean (I don't know what I mean....)

but anyway! this was based also around their distribution so we have what are called old world mammals which are critters found mainly in Africa, Asia, and Australia but also Europe (hence the name old world) and new world which is the Americas. Mega bats were considered new world and only held one family which is no longer the case

anyway!

we don't actually know how we got bats

well we do but we dont... let me explain!

the earliest known bat fossil was a Eocene bat found in germany (I think?) from 52.5 Mya also called Icaronycteris gunnelli and it was pretty much already a bat here's a picture

so... we don't know what it looked like before it looked like a bat! we hypothesize that it was another shrew-like mammal that just transitioned to flying really quickly. after all- that's a big commitment if you want to catch flying prey!

flying also takes up a lot of energy so they have to be tiny (except for flying foxes but I'll talk about them later) they lose heat/energy really fast so that means they need to eat a lot of high value food this leads to nearly all bats being insectovores with a few notable outliers

remember bats are super diverse there's specialization in every way you can think! the only things they won't eat are leafy greens- even the herbivores require high sugar diets and they are too small to have specialized stomachs like other plant adapted mammals.

because these guys require high energy food they also love to stay in tropical climates which is where they are the most diverse- you'll find a whole lot of bats in South Asia and South America.

so let's talk about bats as a whole now that we have some background.

Chiroptera- (literally means: hand wing)

so bat wings. they are more maneuverable than a birds wing and will encase the whole arm and in-between the fingers. they have a super duper adjustable membrane that they can move around in really subtle ways to help them navigate in the dark. their radius/ulna bones (forarm bones) are somewhat fused together and their 1st and 2nd finger acts as that final support beam for the rest of their fingers. they also have a thumb with a claw that sticks out.

their torsos are also adjusted for flight they have a super broad chest with small hips and straight long legs. their claws are independent (not fused like their wings) and they sometimes have a spur off of their ankles to help support the membrane between their legs

some of them have tails some of them do not- when they do have tails the membrane will also be connected to that at the middle.

their shoulder girdle is also special they have a long clavicle a large/strong scalpula and a ridged sternum which makes their center of gravity over their shoulders- this is really important for momma bats! they can only have one young (pup) at a time and they must stay up pretty high on her chest when drinking milk so that she can still fly. that means her nipples are real high up too (eventually she will leave the kid behind and go hunt on her own to bring back food)

here's a few modern bat skeletons

(note the ankle spur on the left image)

ft. my phone in the glass reflection... my bad dog

and check out those Itty bitty hips! imagine how small those babies have to be at birth to fit through that! haha just kidding you don't have to imagine here's a baby bat

SO small (this is a species called Myotis lucifugus the common name is literally "little brown bat")

OK so flight-

I don't know much about aerodynamics so this is gonna be like a weird bullshit explanation on this

so bats have curved wings for lift and they get thrust from their muscles on their body- they can adjust the curvature of their wings which is called the camber (if I remember correctly idfk honestly) and the front edge of their wing will change their angle of attack. they also adjust their fingers for the same deal bpa bla bla you get the point they can move their wings like crazy

so a high camble or angle of attack means a higher lift. they have super tiny thin muscles under their wing membrane that will also adjust its kinda like when horses twitch their skin to get a fly off.

wing beat cycle- upbeat brings the wing in and downbeat spreads the wing. they get their main power from their chest during the up beat and have less power from their back muscles on the down beat

a lot of them also have like a locking mechanism in their shoulder that keeps their wings from like snapping back open from the wind resistance

variability in wing size is also crazy- so long thin wings = longer flight

their tails are also like rudders and help with lift free tail bats struggle with this especially and will roost super high up and just kinda fall into flight

heavy prey like fruit requires heavy lift and that means their uroptagium (membrane between the legs) needs to be specialized for their habits

some bats use their membrane as like a net to catch moths and other flying bugs and throw them to their mouths very few bats will actually pluck things from the sky with their mouth they use their hind legs 99% of the time

(bat wing anatomy)

notice those tail variations

ears.

ears on a bat are fucking crazy there's all kinds of different variations (there's that word again) but one main trait is an extended tragus which is used to deflect sound here's a picture of a few examples

aww Lil cuties

they also have a nose leaf which we think also deflects sound (or heat in some species) both are necessary for echolocation here's some nose leafs

so while we are up here at a bats head we can talk about their skulls for a second and I'll get back to echolocation in a second

so bat skulls are similar to dogs but they may have modifications in their nasal areas and their incisors and premaxilla specifically. this again.... is super diverse and hard to kinda group together but here's a few examples

they all generally have primative molars which is called dilambodont molars its kinda a W shape with their crests but some have some crazy teeth like vampire bats some may not have any front teeth at all! they might use their hard pallet as a grinding surface like echidnas do

again... please don't ask me about teeth this is really all I know they stress me out

their relative size is also crazy variable flying foxes are the largest and can have 4-5ft wingspans and be around 2kg while bumblebee bats stay around 2g some of those larger guys can hibernate and a couple of super social ones do too

so!! elephant in the room- echolocation.

this special feat requires good ears and a good larynx

sound is produced in the larynx and comes out the mouth or though the nasal cavities this is just anatomy but in bats their nose leaf will also direct high frequencies away from themselves

remember a high frequency means a short wave length so to detect distances they need two mobile ears on their head to figure out the direction of the sounds. these move and listen somewhat independently from each other

bats are also creative with their echolocation they use a lower call when flying around to make sure they don't run into anything and a higher and faster call when they have located prey- think of it like a sonar on a submarine. the lower call sweeps the area for something to bounce back against and when something moves around like a pretty little moth for example, they will hone in on that sound to make sure they hit their target. and as we remember, high frequency requires a shorter distance from their target.

now I want to break some misconceptions real quick- no bat is blind. some bats have very small eyes and they likely don't rely on their vision but they can all see! bats are also loud! not in frequencies we can hear them but they are basically shouting all night long. echolocation also doesn't present a map of the land like some cartoons may show- again, imagine a sonar from a submarine its pretty similar but we don't actually fully understand how it's processed in their brains- we aren't bats after all!

this echolocation thing is super precise they, can tell the shape, speed, texture, size, type, orientation, and distance of something from a single call and they can go up to 200KHz

hearing the bounced back auditory waves requires a specialized auditory bullae which is shown in this photo circled in red

so these suckers are not fully attached to the skull and are instead supported by muscles so that they won't deafen themselves with their own yelling. they will relax that muscle when yelling and retract it to listen

this is so precise that they can identify and avoid a .2mm wide wire from a full meter away and can detect a fruit fly from 1/3rd of a meter away

if a bat had their way they could catch prey every 7 seconds (and catch a fruit fly every 3 seconds)

alright I'm gonna leave it here as my overview on bats and next time I'll get into some specific species and the differences between yin and yang bats :)

I hope this post was interesting to you and I hope you learned something! please feel free to ask me anything else thank you for your question!

I've also maxed out on both images AND tags for this post so I'm likely going to try and split up these bigger posts more often

OH before I forget (and I'll do a post on bat conservation too) just a firm reminder DO. NOT. TOUCH. BATS.

they are cute! they are excellent bug catchers! we love them! BUT they are also carriers of lots of diseases that humans can get such as rabies, ebola, and yes covid-19 not only that they are also ILLEGAL to touch

if you see a hurt bat or if one gets stuck in your garage or something call animal control they will send out a LICENSED Profesional to handle it for you

here's some information on the federal laws surrounding bats but always check your state laws as well!

DO.

NOT.

TOUCH.

BATS.

OK that's all thank you :)

[wildingthings]

Natural History of Bats

Class: Mammalia

Order: Chiroptera (Greek meaning “hand-wing)

Suborders: Megachiroptera and Microchiroptera

These adorable creatures are the only flying mammals that we know of, and are a very vital part of ecosystems all over the world from deserts to the tropics. In fact, the only places they aren’t found is in arctic climates and on remote isolated coastal islands. They are important for pest control, pollination, and seed dispersal as their diet consists mainly of fruits and insects (besides the infamous vampire bat who prefers to eat blood). What makes them so unique as mammalian hunters is their use of echolocation to track prey, which leads to their nocturnal nature since they don’t require sight, giving them the advantage of less competition.

Bats live in groups to protect from individual predation, but don’t pair off monogamously. Females will have one pup at a time, but can have multiple pups in a breeding season by multiple different fathers. When females are pregnant they congregate in maternal colonies until the young are born, because ladies support each other. Babies are born pretty well-developed but with non-functional wings so they need to be cared for for a few weeks before they can fly off and live on their own. Bats can live up to 30 years, and range anywhere from 6 in. to 67 in. wingspans. 

Even though it seems that with the wide variety of sizes and species of bats would mean they are numerous and everywhere, it is actually the opposite. Bats have not escaped the environmental consequences of climate change and human development. Several species have gone extinct already and most are at least have been put under watch. One of the most common causes are habitat loss and a fungal disease that humans carry between caves and therefore spreads to bat populations that otherwise would have been isolated from each other. 

This only scratches the surface of the life of bats, and as you will see in a later post we are still discovering more to this day. So spread the good word about bats, stop the stigma, and appreciate these furry little flying foxes whenever you see them! 

Sources of info:

https://www.si.edu/spotlight/batshttps://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/bat-fact-sheet/#:~:text=Bats%20comprise%20the%20order%20Chiroptera,worldwide%2C%20with%20over%201%2C300%20species.

[vesper-tilionidae]

I believe in EL WIWI SUPERIORITY!!! Friendship ended 🚫 with megachiroptera 😤😤 this is a MICROBAT POSITIVE space!! 🦇🦇🦇

[vendettavalor]

Anonymous said: “📂“ -> For the S.W.O.R.D.S team (individual or as a whole, up to you!)

⚔️ Random Headcanon // ACCEPTING ⚔️

// all of the above actually - and none of them are useless❤️

S.W.O.R.D.S. - General

Following the failure of Project Nemesis and the escape of her test subjects, Zaccarian's operations put into question were oficially shut down. The end of Project Z also meant the destruction of all files and records related to the project. Well - almost. There were exactly two people who had full, unrestricted access to the original documentation. Those were Andromeda Zaccarian herself, and Margarita Alacan prior to her going AWOL. All other copies, database archives, and backups of the project ever existing were deleted following the Project's formal shutdown. For the sake of the team (and at the request of Lupa), Margarita has withheld all information on the project, including the real names of all of the members. To date, none of the original S.W.O.R.D.S. know their real names, birthdays, or any other information about themselves prior to becoming child test subjects for Zaccarian's Project Z.

CAPTAIN CONRAD CURTIS

// Unlike the rest of the team, Conrad Curtis was infected with the Z-Virus long after the rest of his team. He wasn't part of the initial project, but was infected in a follow-up rescue mission after Zaccarian had kidnapped the S.W.O.R.D.S. again. While captured, he was exposed to a more advanced and more stabilized version of the virus. His mutations are the result of a combination of gator and gorilla DNA. He's unlike the others solely because he has full control over his mutations and does not suffer the negative effects of genetic alteration from the virus. This is just a longwinded way of saying that the team playfully refers to him as Kongzilla.

DOCTOR MARGARITA ALACAN

Like Conrad, Margarita is infected by the virus later on in the timeline after being capture by Zaccarian trying to reclaim the S.W.O.R.D.S. and revive her long-dead project. Her variation of the virus is also stable and without side-effects due to purification and perfections made over time. Her genetic makeup is re-engineered and mixed with that of a Japanese Sable and Megachiroptera Bat. Following the recovery period after their escape from capture, Margarita develops the habit of making a lot of random, cute noises. She often finds ways of working while hanging upside down and develops a new fascination and comfort with climbing up into high places to relax.

OFFENSIVE SPECIALIST LUPA

Lupa's mutations from the Z-Virus gave her the genetic makeup, habits, and physical characteristics of a wolf. As a result of this (and some instances that occurred when she was still a test subject) she wears a muzzle and refuses to eat meat. She also refuses to allow herself to bite people in case it triggers her natural instinct to devour them. But one big exception she allows herself in terms of animal products is bones. Lupa loves gnawing on bones for hours on end. Especially if it's stewed because she loves to scrape out the marrow inside and chew on the cartilage that stays stuck on the edges and ends of the bones. Often times, if she's too busy to chew on a bone she will bury it/hide it to dig up and gnaw on later as a treat to herself. It's one of the few pleasures she allows for herself.

ENGAGEMENT SPECIALIST BUFFY

Buffy was one of the most affected, and yet most resilient members of S.W.O.R.D.S, during her time as a subject. Her repeated recovery from various exposures led to her becoming one of the most promising subjects with nearly five different types of DNA being integrated into her cells: rabbit, kangaroo, aardvark, porcupine, and Plant 43. The combination of both animal and plant DNA integrated into her native genome means that Buffy has a very special connection with plants. She can make them bloom, she can make them grow, and she can control plants to obey her whims and make them appear to act on their own. During the active period of her team, the ability was mostly used to attack and defend by disarming enemies and strangling them with vines. These days, Buffy uses the ability to spur on the growth of their garden plants so that her team has something to eat. The amount of blooms that also grow all over her body means that Buffy is routinely covered by bees and butterflies while she naps.

RECON & INFILTRATION SPECIALIST STAR

Being one of the most heavily affected by her Z-virus infection, many of Star's critical organs and accessory limbs are supported by integrated cybernetic systems that help keep her alive and functional. To some, it sounds like a grim fate. To be kept alive by machine parts and hand-made software. To Star however, it's just fine. Her upgrades mean that she is able to modify and update her body to do whatever she needs it to. She can suppress pain detected by her nervous system, react faster than any fully organic being can, and further enhance the abilities of her mutated form to be a perfect infiltration and stealth specialist. Having to take care of her cybernetics mean that Star also has a high interest in mechanics and software in all sorts of other fields too. Phones, computers, servers, hacking, code-writing, programming, design and digital art - you name it, she has a claw in it.

HEAVY DEFENSE SPECIALIST JUDE

Jude's mutations include a bear form with several additional mouths, including those on his neck, back, and abdomen. His saliva includes a powerful acidic enzyme with a strength that compares to the hydrochloric acid of his stomach. His tongues are their own prehensile limbs that can grab and drag targets into his maws to be devoured. While he does have control over when the digestive enzyme is released, naturally, the lingering product of these acidic glands can cause him some discomfort. To alleviate this, Jude makes himself large logs of alkaline or calcium carbonate-based snack chews in order to nullify the effects of the acid in his mouths. Additionally, if one is feeling brave enough, he will allow them to play with the tongues of his mouths. They're quite friendly and playful, and they mostly smell like mint. All one really has to do is get over the slimy texture.

SCOUTING & WATCH SPECIALIST RAY

Ray's mutation feature hyperactive bone growth as a result of his amplified cervid DNA. While the shape of his antlers may start off and progress in the shape of a moose's, the rapid growth will eventually have them looking more like overgrown white-tail antlers with multiple main columns and tines. After the velvet on his antlers sheds and they've hardened up, they'll often be very heavy and cumbersome. While Ray prides himself on taking care of his antlers, there comes a point each year where trimming and grinding them down is not enough. He has to clip them off entirely. For a while, he sulks. But once they start growing it again normally, he'll perk right up and go back to grooming himself as meticulously and as dutifully as he always does.

SUPPORT SPECIALIST MARIANA

Mariana's neck and rib gills give her the ability to breathe underwater. Paired with how thick and insulated she is, cold water doesn't post a problem for her. Likewise, Mariana feels more at home in the water anyway. She tends to a coral reef and large field of undersea plants that she uses to make medicines and salves for her team. These underwater paradises attract sea life, including fish that she feeds and feeds on. Her most well-kept secret it an underwater home made within the coral of her reef. She has a comfortable bed, and air pocket, and many chests and storage units where she keeps things like rocks, stones, shells, plants, and other treasures and trinkets she's collected over the years. If nowhere else in the world feels safe, that little coral house always will.

LITTLE ALICE

Alice is the youngest member of the S.W.O.R.D.S. at just six years old. Rescued during one of the later raids of Zaccarian's facility, which was still operating in secret, Alice was one of the first children to be born with an innate Z-virus infection. Her infection was, like Conrad and Margarita's, stable and perfected. Her genetic mutation contained samples of all the existing species in Zaccarian's existing database. As a result, it's predicted that Alice can take on the mutated shape and abilities of any number of species. For the time being, her transformations are largely guided by emotions and take on the small, baby versions of the species she mimics. She has little to no control over any of her abilities, and not many of them are well-defined. She's doted on by all of the members of S.W.O.R.D.S. like their own child. And while one day she may choose to follow in their footsteps and become an agent, for now, Alice enjoys the comfort and delight of having the childhood that the rest of her family never got to have.

[oofuri2003]

got to the chapter in heaven’s design team about the bat (💕) my only comment is that in the encyclopedia part at the end it calls “megabats” a species but megabat actually refers to the order Megachiroptera/family Pteropotidae (also known as fruit bats or flying foxes in some cases, the order only has the one family in it). Typically the phrasing of megabats vs microbats is used to differentiate btwn the two orders of bats (basically a microbat is what you typically think of when you think of bats - the tiny echolocators!)

[bat-collector-all]

Scientific Classification of Bats 🦇

Kingdom: Anamalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Clade: Scrotifera

Order: Chiroptera

Suborders: Yinpterochiroptera (Formerly Megachiroptera) and Yangochiroptera (Formerly Microchiroptera)

[encryptedbread]

Actual cool bat facts!

Bats aren't blind, infact, they can see in spaces we as humans would refer to pitch black, the fact they use ecolocation just means they're the best at navigating in the dark

Bats are of course the only flying mammal with 1,400 species, even the flying squirrel is a fraud, it glides short distances

Baby bats are called "pups"

Over 500 species of flowers rely on bats to pollinate them

The vampire bat is the split into three types, the common desmodus rotondus, the "hairy-legged" diphylla ecaudata, and the "white winged" diaemus youngi.

The common vampire bat desmodus rotondus, is the only bat the can run!

Vampire bats don't really suck blood, however, they so use their razor sharp teeth to make cuts in domestic animals and lick the blood that comes out. Also if you were ever bitten by a vampire bat you wouldn't know, but you don't need to worry about that because you are far from their choice of food.

Fruit bats are part of a family called Megachiroptera, which are types of bats that are larger than regular bats

Fruit bats, unlike other bats, smell their food to help find it, they can do this because fruits are easy to smell, and eat fruits like figs, mangoes, dates, and bananas

You'll mainly find fruit bats in the Eastern hemisphere in places like, Africa, Asia, Europe, and Australia.

The Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox bat is the largest bat in the world, weighing 2 ½ pounds, and having a wingspan of over 5 ft.

The Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox bat is located in the Philippines.

The Bumblebee is the smallest bat in the world, and about the size as the average human thumbnail

Found in a small region of western Thailand, they live in limestone caves and forage in nearby forests for small insects like flies, mosquitoes and, moths.

As a pollinator, the bumblebee bat fertilize crops, providing a valuable service to local farmers, on top of that, they act as a natural pest control

[magicandotherstuffienjoy]

Bats: Fascination, Biology, and Myths

A few days ago, I was casually watching a video by PricklyAlpaca, unaware that it would inspire the creation of this new article. I had a few ideas floating around—ranging from frogs to moths and even unicorns—but it was the bat that ultimately caught my attention thanks to that video.

🦇

It was both captivating to watch and pleasant to listen to in the background, and in the end, it convinced me that bats could make for an intriguing subject for a small article. But what makes bats so special?

credit : unknown (northern ghost bats)

A Biologically Unique Creature

From a biological standpoint, bats stand out due to a few unique characteristics. First and foremost, they are the only mammals capable of active flight—that is, the ability to fly by flapping their wings, unlike gliding mammals such as flying squirrels. Additionally, there are about 1,400 species of bats worldwide, making them one of the most diverse groups of mammals after rodents.

These 1,400 species can be divided into two main groups:

Microchiroptera: These smaller bats use echolocation to navigate and hunt insects, although some also feed on fruit or small animals.

Megachiroptera: These larger fruit-eating bats, like flying foxes, primarily consume fruits and nectar and are mostly found in tropical and subtropical regions.

The Vampire Bat: Myth or Reality?

When it comes to bats, one of the most common associations is their connection to vampirism, largely popularized by works like Dracula by Bram Stoker. But what’s the truth behind this? Out of the 1,400 bat species, only three are hematophagous, meaning they feed on blood.

The most well-known is the common vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus), a small brown bat measuring 7 to 9 centimeters.

The white-winged vampire bat (Diaemus youngi), similar in appearance to the common vampire bat, occasionally feeds on livestock blood.

Lastly, the hairy-legged vampire bat (Diphylla ecaudata), which typically feeds on bird blood, was observed in a 2016 study in Brazil to have started feeding on human blood due to habitat destruction​(Wikipedia).

These bats don’t drink blood in the traditional sense. They make a small cut in their prey’s skin, usually at night, and lick the blood that flows from the wound. Their saliva contains an anticoagulant, preventing the blood from clotting.

Giant and Terrifying Bats

While the idea of vampire bats may be frightening, other species are impressive due to their size or unique appearance. For instance, the giant golden-crowned flying fox of the Philippines is the largest bat species, with a wingspan reaching up to 1.7 meters. Despite its imposing size, it’s harmless and exclusively feeds on fruit, sporting a dog-like snout that gives it a rather adorable appearance.

On the other hand, species like the spectral bat, the largest carnivorous bat in Central America, with a wingspan of up to 1 meter, may appear more intimidating. However, they pose no threat to humans.

credit: Pikaole The White Bat of Honduras: A Cotton Ball in the Sky

Among the most endearing species is the white bat of Honduras (Ectophylla alba), a true gem. This tiny bat, with its white fur and bright yellow ears, looks like a cotton ball. In groups, they build tent-like shelters from leaves and live together in these small refuges. Their fragility makes them a vulnerable species, threatened by deforestation and habitat loss.

credit: Taran Fiddler

Camazotz: The Divine Bat in Maya Mythology

Let me take you on a journey into the mythological world of the Maya, where the bat takes on a divine and terrifying form.

In the depths of a sacred cave, dark and silent, the murmur of the dead echoes through the shadows. The bat god, Camazotz, waits patiently. Depicted with a grotesque face and outstretched wings, Camazotz embodies the night, death, and sacrifice. Every night, wandering souls who dare to enter his domain face certain death. He is the guardian of the entrance to Xibalba, the underworld. Camazotz is not just a creature; he is a destructive force, decapitating the heroes who dare challenge his power. The sacred Maya text, the Popol Vuh, recounts his encounter with the hero twins, Hunahpu and Xbalanque. One of the brothers loses his life, decapitated by the bat god during their journey through the underworld. But Camazotz doesn’t only represent death—he is also a symbol of regeneration, a gateway between the worlds of the living and the dead.

Bats and Fortune in China

In contrast to the dark myths of Mesoamerica, bats occupy a positive place in Chinese culture. In China, the word for "bat," fú (蝠), is a homophone for "happiness" or "good fortune." They are often depicted in art and architecture as symbols of longevity and prosperity. In this context, bats are not seen as frightening creatures but rather as bringers of happiness and prosperity to those who encounter them.

Bats and Rabies: A Reality to Consider

Lastly, an important note concerns rabies, a disease that bats can transmit through bites. While transmission to humans is rare, it’s advised never to handle a bat without proper precautions. In the case of a bite, it’s crucial to wash the wound with soap and water and seek medical attention immediately for a rabies prophylaxis​(

Animal Diversity Web).

credit : Piper Thibodeau

Conclusion

From fluffy little creatures like the white bat of Honduras to legendary figures like Camazotz, bats are animals that are both fascinating and mysterious. Their roles in mythology, biology, and even public health show that they are much more than the creatures of the night we often imagine. Perhaps the next time you see a bat fly through the twilight sky, you’ll view it not as a threat, but as a creature full of ancient mysteries and untold stories.

[oaresearchpaper]

Occurrence of Pipistrellus tenuis in Goalpara, Assam, India

Abstract

A recent survey identified a colony of Pipistrellus tenuis (n = 5) in Kanyakuchi Pahar village (26°00’32.8″N 90°53’29.0″E), a rural remote site situated at Goalpara district of Assam. This species, commonly known as the Least Pipistrelle, was previously reported by Hinton and Lindsay (1926), Sinha (1999), Ghosh (2008), Saikia et al. (2011) and Boro et al. (2018) from different parts of Assam. The Goalpara district of western Assam is encircled by the foothills of Meghalaya to the South and the Brahmaputra River to the North possesses a variety of flora and fauna due to the dense foliage of the high forest canopy. The climatic condition of the region along with its topography favours roosting of bat population. The distribution of the bat species P. tenuis in the surveyed area has not been previously recorded. For the purpose of taxonomic identification, morphometric parameters (external and cranio-dental measurements) were compared to standard literature by Bates and Harrison (1997). Captured bat specimens (n=3) were examined at the ZSI (Zoological Survey of India), NERC-Shillong, Meghalaya. The recorded mean body weight of captured specimens was 2.61g ± 0.160 (S.D) and the mean forearm length (FA) was 27.39mm ± 0.165 (S.D). This manuscript validates sightings of this bat species at the study location, compares its morphometric and cranio-dental traits to standard literature (Bates and Harrison, 1997) for identification, discusses its distribution as well as its ecological importance.

Introduction

Bats are the only mammals that can fly for long periods of time, making them the second-largest order of mammals with over 1,400 different species. The two suborders of bats, Microchiroptera (echolocating bats) and Megachiroptera (Old World bats) make up the taxonomic group Chiroptera. 127 species of bats from India were listed by Talmale and Saikia (2018) and were categorised into 41 genera and 9 families. About 39 different bat species, divided into 16 genera, are found in Assam, including 34 Microchiropteran species and 5 Megachiropteran species (fruit bats) (Ali, 2022). The Himalaya and Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot, which includes Northeast India, contains 74 species of the 127 species of bats that are known to exist in India (Saikia, 2019). There are nine families in the order Chiroptera that are represented in India: Pteropodidae, Megadermatidae, Hipposideridae, Rhinolophidae, Emballonuridae, Rhinopomatidae, Molossidae, Vespertilionidae, and Miniopteridae.

With 62 species, the family Vespertilionidae (commonly known as evening bats) is the most diverse and numerous family of bats found in India (Saikia 2019; Ali, 2022). The tiniest pipistrelle found in the Indian subcontinent belongs to the Vespertilionidae family and is known as the least pipistrelle (Figs. 2 and 3). The genus Pipistrellus has 51 species worldwide, including 12 species being found on the Indian subcontinent (Koopman, 1993). It's prevalent over the majority of Southeast Asia, Southeast China, and South Asia (Simmons, 2005). This species is found in Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka (Molur et al., 2002; Das, 2003; Vanitharanie, 2006; Korad, 2007). This bat occasionally shares a roost with Indian Pipistrelles, but they don't interact with one another. They frequently form colonies of 1 to 25 individuals and are present in both woodlands and populated places and often prefer living in close proximity to human population. They build their nests in trees, leaf canopies, the ceilings or walls of buildings, and abandoned homes (Francis et al., 2010). Seasonal variations in the species' diet are evident.

It consumes a variety of insects and beetles during the monsoon and summer, and termites, cockroaches, wingless ants, and moths during the winter (Hamidullah et al., 2019).

P. tenuis are categorised as insectivorous bats in terms of preferred diet and feeding habits. A typical pipistrelle bat can often consume one-third of its body weight in insects per night, significantly lowering the number of insects. They devour a lot of insects at night, which costs the US $3.7 billion in pest control every year. It has been shown, according to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and the University of Michigan that places with insectivorous bat populations greatly reduce the amount of insects and plant damage (Kalka et al., 2008). Recent study on the reproductive activity of the P. tenuis species indicate that there are two peaks between the months of July and August, and one between February and March. The greatest abundance of prey occurred during each of these times. In China and India, pregnant and nursing females have been spotted at all times of the year, proving that reproduction is possible all year long (Wilson and Mittermeier, 2019). Due to their nocturnal lifestyle and ecological diversity, bats are a fascinating group of animals as well as a difficult species to research.

A number of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India and other institutions have made significant contributions to the study of Indian bat taxonomy and geographic distribution in the post-independence era. Some of the most important revisions of the geographical range and taxonomy of Indian bats include Brosset (1962abc, 1963); Hill and Corbett (1992); Bhat and Kock (1994); Sinha (1970, 1973, 1999); Bates & Harrison (1997); Pradhan (2008); Das (2003); Csorba et al. (2003); Ramarkishna et al. (2003); Ghosh (2005, 2008); Srinivasulu (2001, 2006); Alfred, (2006). A monograph by Bates & Harrison (1997) listed 28 species of bats from Assam. Recently, there are only a few significant works on the study of different species of bats in the state of Assam by Sinha (1999), Ghosh (2008) and Boro et al. (2013; 2015; 2018), Ali (2010; 2022), Rahman and Choudhury (2017), Saikia et al. (2011; 2018; 2019; 2021).

Furthermore, little is known about the distribution and taxonomic status of bats, notably microchiroptera, in the Assam region. This article aims to investigate the distribution and current status of the Pipistrellus genus in Assam's Goalpara district. This paper on Pipistrellus tenuis occurence is the first at the study site (Fig. 1) and is based on measurements of morphometric features in comparison to current standard literature (Bates and Harrison, 1997).

Source : Occurrence of Pipistrellus tenuis in Goalpara, Assam, India | InformativeBD

[megachirottera]

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