Probably every person has encountered bats at least once in his life. They can be seen in any city or village, it is only late in the evening or at night to go out. When we observe these mysterious individuals, the question begs itself: “Is a bat a bird or an animal?” Let's try to figure this out together.
Animal or bird?
A bat is an animal that belongs to bats. These are the only mammals that have mastered flight. The most interesting thing is that the name of the species does not correspond to reality, because these animals have nothing to do with rodents. It would be logical to call them flying monkeys, since bats are more like primates. People argue very often: “What specific species does a bat belong to ? Is it a bird or animal? Which of these statements is true? ” However, it is unlikely that a person who knows zoology will be able to attribute it to birds only because it has wings. To begin with, you should learn the full lifestyle of the bats. Only after this, by providing arguments, can one be convinced of belonging to one or another kind.
Food
Almost all species of bats feed on insects. Because of this, constant questions arise about what species a bat belongs to: is it a bird or an animal. Each individual has its own taste preferences: some more like butterflies or midges, second - spiders or beetles, others prefer larvae.
Often bats grab their food during the flight, when a potential victim soars in the air. As a rule, they also eat on the fly, although there are those bats that prefer to settle in a more comfortable place after hunting. Their methods of food production are quite interesting and deserve attention. For example, some bats with certain movements of the wings, reminiscent of the work of the blades, pick up insects to themselves, while others use their caudal membrane as a net with which they catch prey.
Species of bats
Like all animals, bats are divided into species. There are quite a lot of bats at the moment. To date, more than 1200 varieties have been discovered. It is unlikely that anyone will want to challenge the fact that the only flying mammals are the most common on the planet. According to statistics, every fifth animal is a bat. They all seem very similar, but they are not. Each species is different and has no analogues. In temperate latitudes, out of the total number of mice, only fifty species live. That is why many do not even suspect that there are giant individuals! For example, the wingspan of bats living in the tropics is more than 170 centimeters. Types of bats are so diverse that research is still ongoing.
Wings
The wings of the bats are formed due to thin skin that stretches between the body and fingers. They are arranged so that they are able to publish ultrasounds that help bats navigate in space. With this, an animal can easily detect prey or feel an obstacle in its path. Since ancient times, people believed that these mammals like to sit on the heads of women and drink blood. This is actually not the case. The hair of a weaker sex has a peculiar structure, so the wings of a bat, releasing ultrasound, do not receive returns, respectively, the animal believes that there is an empty space in front of it.
additional information
Bats have very low vision (black and white) and sense of smell. Their characteristic feature is perfect hearing. In order to navigate well in the dark, they make a sound and by their echo they understand if there is an obstacle in their path and what distance is there to it. Thanks to this, they do not need good eyesight.
The basic habits of almost all types of bats are similar. All of them lead only nightlife, avoid bright places and do not make nests. In the afternoon, bats sleep, hanging upside down. Most of these mammals are able to fall into very long hibernation thanks to the ability to slow down the body's processes. Surprisingly, these animals can change the intensity of the respiratory rate, affect cardiac function, and reduce the metabolic rate .
Bats fly well, their flight is fast enough and maneuverable, so the question of whether a bat is a bird or an animal is controversial and is often the reason for lengthy discussions.
The science that bats research is called chiropterology. In just a few years, scientists were able to discover dozens of new species of these creatures. It has now been proven that the most widespread and largest animal in the world is the bat. But, unfortunately, at the moment they are still not fully understood. Their habitat captures almost the entire globe, except for islands in the ocean and the polar regions. They are frequent guests in forests and deserts, plains and mountains, and also live both in a populous city and in those places where a person’s foot has not set foot.