CHIROPTERA

Chiroptera means "hand winged", which is the most distinctive feature of bats. They are the only mammals with forelimbs modified as wings, and they are the only ones capable of sustained flight. Most bats are insectivorous, and in darkness they locate insects as well as environmental features using echolocation, during which they emit ultrasonic sounds through the nose or mouth and the reflected sounds are received by the ears. Such bats have brains with circuits specialized to utilize frequency and amplitude modulated acoustical signals. The frugivorous bats (fruit bats) live mostly in the tropics and subtropics, subsisting mainly on fruit, nectar, and pollen. Some bats are specialized for diets of blood, small vertebrates or fish. Temperate bats hibernate in caves or other secluded places in winter; others migrate seasonally to warmer climates.


Family Pteropodidae

Family Rhinolophidae

Family Vespertilionidae
Subfamily Myotinae

Subfamily Vespertilioninae
Tribe Eptesicini

Family Emballonuridae
Subfamily Emballonurinae

Family Noctilionidae

Family Hipposideridae

Family Phyllostomidae
Subfamily Phyllostominae

Subfamily Glossophaginae
Tribe Glossophagini

Subfamily Carolliinae

Subfamily Stenodermatinae
Tribe Stenodermatini

Subfamily Brachyphyllinae

Family Natalidae

Family Molossidae
Subfamily Molossinae

 





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