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There is an abundant amount of animal species in the world. They all have adapted and evolved to survive in their surroundings. Some have grown fins, others legs, and some have wings. Each adaptation helps them to survive in the particular environment in which they live.
Some animals that are members of the same species have adapted and evolved. One adaptation is wings, and they are normally thought to be a feature of birds. One of the only animals that has wings and is not a bird is the bat. The bat is a truly great creature. It has all the characteristics of mammals while also possessing the skill of a bird in flight. Though other mammals, like the flying squirrel seem to fly but actually glide, the bat is the only mammal that can truly fly (Wimsatt, 1977).
There are approximately 900 species of bats known in the world and 40 of them live in the United States and Canada (web 2004). The different species of bats consist of many different sizes, shapes, and lifestyles, which is normally determined by their environment. They live all over the world and have drawn the curiosity of millions. Bats also have the unique feature of echolocation, which is a hunting method it uses in order to catch insects and other prey. It also helps them with a sense of direction.
Even though bats are labeled as pests and are looked at as dangerous animals, they are helpful in many ways. The most apparent feature of a bat is the adaptations which enable it to fly. The fore limbs of the bat are built similarly to the general pattern of other mammals. It has an upper arm, forearm, wrist, and hand with thumb and four fingers. The difference is the bones of the hand and fingers are elongated which spreads and manipulates the wing. They also contain fur on the body, large ears, claws, and a tail.
As we can see here they are mammals but there have been adaptations that have evolved in order for the bat to survive in its environment (Barbour, 1970). Bats eyesight is not very great. They are known and considered by some to have a sixth sense called echolocation, which they use and depend on for capturing insects in the dark. Bats produce ultrasonic sound waves which are emitted into the air. The sound waves bounce off of objects in or insects to give them of idea of what is in their path.
The bat increases the sound waves as it is approaching the insect or object that is in its path. The sound waves are so high in frequency that humans are unable to hear them. Their echolocation ability is so great that they can avoid objects no wider than a piece of thread. Insect-eating bats can catch a prey in their mouth or scoop them in their wings. They then reach down and take the insect into their mouth. The effects of echolocation and the scooping of insects results in the erratic flight that most people observe when they see a bat flying at night (web 2004).
David D. Yager has done a study with praying mantis. He has found that they can hear these sound waves that bats produce. When being pursued by a bat the mantis, to avoid being eaten, goes into a series of evasive maneuvers and goes for a sudden dive toward the ground.
Also moths can hear the ultrasonic sounds of the bat as well. The wings of a moth move at different times. This explains the erratic movement that is noticed when moths are flying. The erratic movement is said to help the moth from being eaten by the bat because it supposedly confuses the bat and makes the moth hard to be located. Even though adaptations have occurred in insects to aid in survival against the bat, most bats are successful in their pursuit more than fifty percent of the time (web 2004). Some bats have adapted and now produce a certain frequency sound in which it is out of range for some animals to hear.
This helps continue the saga of the arms race animals will continue to adapt and evolve to be more proficient in hunting and survival. Insects are not normally a food source during the winter months. Therefore, bats have to survive by either migrating to warmer regions where insects are available or by hibernating. Hibernation is helpful because this is time where the body is in a state of rest and metabolic activities, body temperature, and heart rate is at a reduced state. This helps save a tremendous amount of energy for the bat.
Bats usually lose from to their body weight during hibernation. They survive on a few grams of stored fat during a period of hibernation which can last five to six months. Disturbing bats during hibernation can cause many problems. This is because the bats have a limited supply of energy. The energy used when the bat is awake is much greater compared to the energy used during hibernation. Repeated awakenings can result in starvation during the late winter from lack of stored energy.
They are known to hibernate during the winter on cave walls or ceilings. During the summer some will hibernate in trees and buildings. Tree bats hardly ever enter caves. They hibernate in trees year round. These places of hibernation are considered to be roost sites. At these sites the bats form dense clusters around each other.
These clusters can contain hundreds of bats per square foot. Often these bats travel from far locations to find the ideal roost. For example, the Mexican free-tailed bat will travel up to 800 miles to and from their winter and summer locations (Yalden, 1975). Bats have internal fertilization and give birth to highly matured young just like humans. Most bats only have one baby a year. The bats mate in the roost and have little or no courtship.
The pregnant mothers form separate nursing colonies from the other bats. The Mexican free-tailed bat, who migrate immediately after mating, produce a secretion that preserves the males sperm until they reach their new roost. When the baby is being born the mother hangs from a tree by her thumbs. Her tail membrane acts as a cradle to catch the baby when it is born. Then the mother hangs by one wing and cleans the baby with the other. In some species the baby is left at the roost when the mother is hunting, but some species choose to take their baby along.
In the species that carry their young eventually the baby grows too big for the mother and is left in the roost. As the bat grows older it learns how to fly and eventually learns to hunt and provide for itself (Yalden, 1975). Some bats have developed special ways of adapting to their surroundings. Some bats eat insects, some feed on fruit, nectar, small vertebrates, fish, and blood. The bats that eat fruit help disperse seeds by eating and then dropping the seeds in their droppings during flight.
Those that drink nectar act like hummingbirds pollinating flowers (Wimsatt, 1977). Bats that eat small vertebrates along with insects and fruit are often called false vampires. These bats eat lizards, tree frogs, birds, rodents, and smaller bats. They kill their prey by using their strong jaws and teeth to break their neck. These bats have only about a two foot wingspan so their prey tends to be small.
Bats that catch fish fly just above the water and catch the fish with its hind feet and use its sharp claws to hold it. It then maneuvers the fish to kill it by biting it. The most famous of bats is probably the vampire. The vampire bat drinks the blood of large vertebrates when they are asleep. To help in doing this they have developed large incisors, a specialized tongue, and specialized saliva to prevent blood from clotting. They are also able to move quickly on the ground in case of their prey waking up and it is too full of blood to fly away (Barbour 1970).
Bats tend to be looked down upon because there are many misconceptions about them. Some people are afraid of them because they carry rabies. Less than one percent of bats carry the rabies virus. In the past 40 years fewer than 40 people have contracted rabies from a bat in the United States. More people are killed from dog attacks and bee stings than rabies from bats. Some people feel that bats get tangled in peoples hair.
Although bats may fly class to someones head while catching insects, they do not get caught in peoples hair. Their ability to echolocate allows them to keep that from happening. Bats also are known to suck blood but normally from birds, horses, and cattle. This amount is normally about two tablespoons a day which is a small amount for a prey animal and it rarely ever causes any harm. So humans dont have to worry about bats sucking their blood. Bats are actually important to humans.
Most bats eat insects and help keep bug populations low. Some bats, such as the little brown bat, can consume about 600 mosquitoes in an hour. Bats also keep the population down of other potential pests such as leafhoppers, cucumber beetles, and June bugs (web 2004). The most apparent uniqueness with bats is that they appear to be birds but actually are instead mammals. Humans have to adapt and learn how to do things differently in order to survive or be productive in this world. Often times we do not realize that animals have to go through the same process.
Bats are an excellent example of how animals can adapt and evolve to be more efficient in everyday life activities. The ability to fly and use echolocation is an adaptation used in helping the bat to find and capture its food. Hibernation is helpful in preserving energy so that the bat can survive during certain times of the year. Even in reproduction semen is able to be preserved in order to fertilize the female during the right time and at the right location. Earlier mentioned, praying mantis and moths have adapted to survive against bats. As time goes on and the environment changes, more and more adaptations and specializations will occur which will cause the evolution of more proficient and efficient animals.
REFERENCES Barbour, Roger W. Wayne H. Davis. (1970). Bats of America. The University Press of Kentucky. Pg. 8 - 12.
web (2004) web (2004) Wimsatt, William A. (1977). Biology of Bats. Academic Press. New York, San Francisco and London. Yalden, D. W.
P. A. Morris. (1975). The Lives of Bats.
Demeter Press. New York, New York. Pg. 72 - 102.
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