Bats Flashcards
Where can you find bats around the world?
every environment except oceans and polar regions covered in ice
Can bats fly
yes, only mammal that can truly fly
what portion do bats take of mammalian species?
1/2
1/4
1/8
3/4
1/4
What foraging guilds do bats species consume?
nectar
fruit
vertebrates (fish)
arthropods
blood (neotropics)
What is the name of the bat that consumes blood?
name
family
and where does it occur
Common vampire bat
Desmodos retundus
Family: Phyllostomidae
occurs throughout central and south america
Sharp incisors - pierces skin.
In relation to bats, what is the
Phylum:
Subphylum:
Class:
Order:
Chordata
vertebrata
Mammalia
Chiroptera
Chiro “hand: tera “wing”
What similarities do australian bats have to humans/mammals?
Their latin name means;
Chiro “hand: tera “wing”
They have a bone in the wing that is similar to human hands and arms.
a humerus, radius, ulna bone, wrist and digits (proportionally the digits are longer and support wing function)
What are the two main suborders for bats?
- Yinpterochiroptera
- Yangochiroptera
What are the family names in
Yinpgterochiroptera and how are they charactrised?
Pteropodidae - fruit bats flying foxes (big) - no echolocation
Group as weird (below) - echolocation, specialised
Megadermatidae
Rhinolophidae
Hipposideridae
Rhinonycteridae
What are the family names in Yangochiroptera and how are they mainly characterised?
Characterised as very small
echolocation
Emballonuridae
Molossidae
Miniopteridae
Vespertilionidae
What is echolocation
the sound bats use to navigate by generate high fequency sound by the larynx - emitted from the mouth or nose
gaining information from the sounds, such as distance and how fast an object is moving
Why are there different types of echolocation within the subgroups of bats?
Echolocation has evolved over time - this is why they have different forms within the yinpetrochiropteran and yangchiropteran bats
What are species types in the Pteropodidae?`
Larger bats/ no echolocation (Exceptions in asia/africa)
Pteropus: Flying fox/ fruit bat
macroglossus
syconycteris
nyctimene
dobsonia
What family do flying fox/fruits bat belong to?
Pteropodidae
What are three types of Pteropodidae - Pteropus?
- Black flying fox (north eastern australia)
black with red or orange on the back of neck
long snout
dur does not extend to feet - grey-headed flying fox (south-eastern)
round, grey face with short ears
fur extends to the feet on the back of legs
vulnerable - little red flying (smallest of the bats)
reddish brown
large ears
What diverse foraging guild strategy do little red flying bats have in particular?
with satellite tracking data, the most nomadic of australia flying foxes - tracking food as it become available due to the diverse climate in Australia.
They are good at adapting food
Very social animals - travel together to different area
204 different plant species from a study done, corymbia, eucalyptus and melaleuca drive mass aggregations - tongue morphology to enhance nectar harvesting