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Line 36: − A '''bat''' is a winged [[mammal]] that senses it surroundings via echolocation. Bats are the only mammals capable of achieving true flight without the aid of machinery. Vampire bats are often associated with the [[occult]].{{fact}}+ − Bats are, for the purposes of [[Jews]] observing [[Kosher|Kosher practices]], considered [[unclean]] [[birds]] ([[Deuteronomy]] 14:18) and cannot be eaten.+ − + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
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'''Bats''' are the only mammals capable of sustained flight. Comprising nearly 1000 species, bats are found on every continent except [[Antarctica]]; with the possible exception of the [[rodent]]s they are the most successful mammals on earth.
In recent years, knowledge of bats has replaced much of the superstition and fear that has been associated with them; they are now recognized as beneficial to man by pollenating crops and consuming insect pests.
[[Category:Mammals]]
==Description==
Bats are divided into two suborders:
*Megachiroptera, which comprises the larger fruit bats and flying foxes of the Old World;
*Microchiroptera, the smaller bats with a wider distribution, and which feed on insects, fish, and small animals.
The chief characteristic of bats are the wings, which are two layers of skin (the membrane) stretched over the modified and elongated finger bones of the hand (hence the order name Chiroptera, "hand wing"). Six muscles per wing produce the strokes needed to propel the bat through the air, and unlike birds, bats can dramatically alter the shape and curvature of their wings in flight, resulting in extreme manuverability. When at rest, the only digit not attached to the membrane, the thumb, is used to help the bat cling to its roost.
Microchiroptera has the ability to echolocate via [[sonar]]. Rapid clicks are uttered by bats at high frequencies well above human hearing, bounce off objects, and return as echoes; bats are apparently able to tell speed, distance, direction, and the size of surrounding objects, as well as knowing the difference between a food item, such as a flying insect, and a pebble tossed in the air.
By contrast, many species of Megachiroptera do not use sonar, instead relying on sight.
==Diet==
The majority of bat species feed on insects; many of these can consume their entire weight in insects in a single night of feeding. Several hunt small reptiles and mammals [http://www.batcon.org/batsmag/v15n2-5.html][http://www.iwokrama.org/forest/animals/falsevampirebat.htm]; one species (''Nyctalus lasiopterus'') hunts and kills birds on the wing [http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn1119-bats-revealed-as-bird-killers.html], another (''Noctilio leporinus'') bears long claws on its feet and specializes in catching fish [http://www.photovault.com/Link/Animals/Mammals/Bats/Species/FishingBat.html]. The legendary vampire bat (''Desmodus rotundus'') of South America is the only species of mammal that subsists exclusively on a diet of blood, and is considered a serious pest to the livestock industry there.
Several species of Microchiroptera feed on and pollenate flowers [http://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/pollinators/bats.shtml][http://www.humanflowerproject.com/index.php/weblog/comments/floral_long_necks_and/][http://www.whozoo.org/students/dansch/fruitbat.htm], as well as feed on fruit; the majority of Megachiroptera feed on fruit exclusively [http://www.thewildones.org/Animals/fruitBat.html][http://wonderclub.com/Wildlife/mammals/indianflyingfox.html].