Bat Anatomy and Physiology

1
Bat Anatomy and Physiology

• The only mammal that can fly.

2
Physical Description

• Bats range in body size from as small as 1-in
  long to as large as 16-in long.
• Body weights of bats range from about .07-oz to
  more than 2.9-lbs.
• The fingers are very long and support a thin
  leathery skin that makes their wings that is
  attached to one side of there body and hind leg.
• The thumb of the wing is free and is used to
  cling to tree bark or the walls and ceiling of
  its roost.
• The bats fur is usually long, silky, and gray and
  is used primarily for warmth.

3
Bat Skeleton
4
Echolocation

• Bats use a combination of vision, smell, and
  hearing to find food, to navigate, and to avoid
  collisions.
• In echolocation a short pulse of high frequency
  sound is emitted.
• The sound then spreads out in front of the bat
  and bounces off of any object in front of the bat
  in the form of an echo.
• By interpreting the echoes the bat can dodge
  objects and find food.

5
How Echolocation Works
6
Diet

• More than 65 of bats eat insects.
• Some bats can consume as many as 600 mosquitoes
  an hour.
• Some species(not around here) have a diet that
  consists of small fish, reptiles, amphibians,
  birds, and mammals.

7
Torpor and Hibernation

• Bats are warm-blooded animals, but unlike other
  animals the keep there body temperature only when
  active.
• If the surroundings are cold there body
  temperature will fall and they will enter a
  sluggish state which is called Torpor.
• In the colder temperatures of their ranges they
  will enter Hibernation.
• During hibernation the bats metabolism drops so
  that it can survive the winter months.

8
Reproduction and Growth

• The cycles of the bat are synchronized so that
  all mating, birthing, and rearing activities
  occur all within the narrow time frame of days or
  weeks.
• The gestational periods of bats are relatively
  log ranging from 40 days to 8 months.
• Bats usually have only 1 offspring.

9
Homology

• The sex of a young embryo is undistinguishable,
  both males and females pass threw similar
  embryonic stages.
• Males and females develop almost a duplicate set
  of reproductive organs, one set becoming vestigal
  before birth, and the other becoming permanent.

10
Sources

• Microsoft Encarta - http//encarta.msn.com/find/Co
  ncise.asp?z1pg2ti761557637
• Anatomy of the Bat - http//www.cccoe.k12.ca.us/ba
  ts/batimage.html