Difference between revisions of "Bat"
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| − | A '''bat''' is a winged [[mammal]] that senses it surroundings via echolocation. Most bats are nocturnal and are the most active at night or twilight. There are around 1,100 species of bats in the world <ref>http://www.batworld.org/main/main.html</ref>, divided into insect-eating bats, fruit bats, and vampire | + | A '''bat''' is a winged [[mammal]] that senses it surroundings via echolocation. Most bats are nocturnal and are the most active at night or twilight. There are around 1,100 species of bats in the world <ref>http://www.batworld.org/main/main.html</ref>, divided into insect-eating bats, fruit bats, and vampire bats. Although there is a common myth that bats feed on human blood, only 3 species actually eat blood, and none of them are harmful to humans <ref>http://www.batworld.org/myths_facts/myths_facts.html</ref>. Bat guano (droppings) makes great agricultural fertilizer, and bats can live more than 20 years <ref>http://www.users.bigpond.com/rdoolan/bats.html</ref>. |
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| + | The bat is the only mammal that can fly, and also the only mammal that is also categorized as a [[bird]] <ref>http://www.christiananswers.net/bible/lev11.html#13</ref>. It is unclean and should not be eaten, but is still, against the efforts of Christian missionaries, considered a delicacy in remote areas of Africa, in some islands of the South Pacific and the Asian Islands <ref>http://www.incrediblebats.com/tract/tract1.html</ref>. | ||
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[[Category:Mammals]] | [[Category:Mammals]] | ||
Revision as of 15:51, October 1, 2007
A bat is a winged mammal that senses it surroundings via echolocation. Most bats are nocturnal and are the most active at night or twilight. There are around 1,100 species of bats in the world [1], divided into insect-eating bats, fruit bats, and vampire bats. Although there is a common myth that bats feed on human blood, only 3 species actually eat blood, and none of them are harmful to humans [2]. Bat guano (droppings) makes great agricultural fertilizer, and bats can live more than 20 years [3].
The bat is the only mammal that can fly, and also the only mammal that is also categorized as a bird [4]. It is unclean and should not be eaten, but is still, against the efforts of Christian missionaries, considered a delicacy in remote areas of Africa, in some islands of the South Pacific and the Asian Islands [5].
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