Module 9 Flashcards
Describe the evolutionary origins and classification of bats within the Mammalia group.
Explain the mechanism of echolocation in bats, including how pulse repetition rate and harmonic variations enhance their ability to navigate and hunt in different environments.
Bats produce ultrasound waves from their mouth and nose. These ultrasounds bounce off of objects and back to the bat.
Bats’ ears are highly specialized to detect and process these returning echoes, allowing them to determine the distance, direction, and characteristics of the objects.
Types of Echolocation:
Frequency-modulated (FM) echolocation: Bats use short pulses of sound between long intervals of silence, which is best for navigating cluttered environments. (give information on size, shape, surface detail- high to low frequencies)
Constant frequency (CF) echolocation: Bats emit longer, continuous pulses of sound, which is better for detecting prey in open environments. (gives information on approach and departure of target and rates of change)
Pulse repetition– rate of sound production varies with the situation, often rate increases when near the roost site, closing on attack, etc.
Harmonic variations–
The Mexican free-tailed bat adds harmonic in cluttered situations/removes harmonies in uncluttered situations
- some species use two harmonies in approach and one in feeding buzz
- probably increases the range of frequencies used
How does bat echolocation compare with other mammals?
Bat echolocation is the most advanced among land mammals, using ultrasonic frequencies (20–200 kHz) for pinpoint precision in detecting tiny prey and navigating complex environments. Unlike dolphins (which use lower frequencies for water) or shrews (which rely on simple, short-range clicks), bats excel in real-time adjustments, like Doppler shift compensation and harmonic calls. Their specialized larynx-produced sounds and highly tuned auditory brains allow unmatched accuracy. While dolphins rival bats in sophistication, their systems are adapted for underwater use, making bats the undisputed masters of aerial biosonar.
Identify key bat species and explain their ecological roles such as Insectivory, frugivory, and nectarivory.
Compare and contrast the anatomical features of megachiropterans and microchiropterans, including differences in facial structures, wing morphology, and feeding behaviours.
Examine the diverse habitats and behaviours of bats, including their feeding strategies, roosting preferences, and adaptations to various environmental conditions.
Who are the closest relatives (clade name) to chiropterans? Where are chiropterans situated cladistically?
Most closely related to ungulates
Mammalia-Theria-Eutheria-Placentalia-Boreoeutheria-Laurasiatheria-Scrotifera-Chiroptera
What chiropteran is considered the smallest mammal?
Kitty’s Hog-nosed Bat (bumblebee bat) from Thailand and Myanmar is the smallest mammal, at 30-40 mm in length and 1.5 to 2g in weight.
What shrew is the smallest mammal by mass?
The Etruscan Shrew is the smallest mammal by mass, though it exceeds the Bumblebee Bat in skull size
Describe the “wing” structure of bats and how they compare to other mammal forearms.
What does the name “Onychonycteris finneyi” mean to you?
Onychonycteris finneyi is the most primitive of the two oldest known monospecific genera of bat, having lived in the area that is current day Wyoming during the Eocene period, 52.5 mya
What is the oldest bat currently known from the fossil record? What is known about their body structure and diet?
Icaronycteris– oldest known undoubtable bat material from the Eocene beds in Wyoming
- claws on the first 2 digits of the hand
- fairly short, broad wings
- other fossils prove Insectivora during Eocene (moth scales in gut)
Late ______ and _______ deposits in ________ have shown evidence for Microchiroptera families ______________, _________________, ________________, and ______________.
Late Eocene and Oligocene deposits in France have shown evidence for Microchiroptera families Emballonuridae, Megadermitidae, Rhinolophidae, and Vespertilionidae.
When and where did Megachiroptera first appear in the fossil record?
Megachiroptera appeared in Oligocene in Italy
Name the [number] families of living bats.
(1) Pteropodidae (Old World fruit bats)
(2) Rhinolophidae (horseshoe bats)
(3) Hipposideridae (Old World leaf-nosed bats)
(4) Megadermatidae (false vampire bats)
(5) Craseonycteridae (bumblebee bats)
(6) Rhinopomatidae (mouse-tailed bats)
(7) Nycteridae (slit-faced bats)
(8) Emballonuridae (sheath-tailed bats)
(9) Phyllostomidae (New World leaf-nosed bats)
(10) Mormoopidae (leaf-chinned bats)
(11) Noctilionidae (fishing bats)
(12) Furipteridae (smoky bats)
(13) Thyropteridae (disk-winged bats)
(14) Mystacinidae (New Zealand short-tailed bats)
(15) Myzopodidae (sucker-footed bats)
(16) Vespertilionidae (evening bats)
(17) Molossidae (free-tailed bats)
(18) Natalie (funnel-eared bats)
Do megabats possess the ability to echolocate?
No
What are vampire bats?
Vampire bats are a subfamily (Desmondontinae) in the American leaf-nosed bat family (Phyllostomidae).
What is the diet of the False vampire bat?
They are primarily insectivorous, but will also eat a wide range of small vertebrates, such as other bats, small birds, reptiles, fish, and large insects.
What is the largest carnivorous bat in the world?
The spectral or false vampire bat is the largest bat in the New World and the largest carnivorous bat in the world.
Summarize the ecology of the Big Brown Bat.
- Microbat
- Vespertilionidae
- distributed widely throughout North America, the Caribbean, and the northern portion of South America
- large compared to other microbats
- insectivorous
- nocturnal
- roost in sheltered areas during the day such as caves, tunnels, tree cavities, and human structures
- breed in the fall, hibernate in the winter
- maternity colonies for giving birth to young
- generalist species
- agriculturally valuable species
Summarize the ecology of the Kitty’s hog-nosed bat.
Family: Craseonycteridae
- near-threatened species
- western Thailand and southeast Myanmar
- occupies limestone caves along rivers
- Kitti’s hog-nosed bat is the smallest species of bat and arguably the world’s smallest mammal by body length
- Roost in colonies
- The bat feeds during short activity periods in the evening and dawn, foraging around nearby forest areas for insects
- Its potential threats are primarily anthropogenic, and include habitat degradation and the disturbance of roosting sites
Who is this big-nosed baddie?
Long-snouted bats
- family Phyllostomidae
- nectarivorous
- endemic to northern Peru and northern Chile
- feeds almost exclusively on the nectar and fruit of the columnar cactus
- threatened due to habitat loss causing the removal of their primary food source
How are fishing bats adapted to their niche?
Echolocation is used to detect ripples in the water made by swimming fish (Suthers, 1965). Once the bat locates a fish, it can quickly swoop down and catch the fish with its large, sharp claws.
What’s the deal with the order Dermoptera?
Dermoptera is an order of Colugos that consists of 1 family, 1 genus, and 2 species.
(1) The Philippine flying lemur
(2) The Malayan flying lemur
- tooth-combs
- distinct broad, flat palate
- Binocular vision for 3D vision (evolved for moving in the forest canopy)
Who da hell is this guy???
Hypothetical restoration of the Late Palaeocene Planetetherium (Plagiomenidae) as a glider similar to today’s colugos or “flying lemurs”.
Planetetherium is an extinct genus of herbivorous gliding mammal endemic to North America during living from 56.8-55.4 mya, existing ~1.4 mya.
