Bats

BATS, mammals of the order Chiroptera; they have extremely strongly developed forelimbs with elongated fingers connected by a skin membrane; the latter extends onto the hind limbs and tail. The dental system is complete. They are divided into the suborders Megachiroptera, frugivorous, with blunt, tuberculated molars, and Microchiroptera, insectivorous, with sharply tuberculated molars. Bats are usually twilight and nocturnal animals, peacefully hanging during the day in secluded places (in caves, tree hollows, in attics, cellars, ruins, etc.). Frugivorous bats live predominantly in the tropics and subtropics, whereas insectivorous bats range north to the Arctic Circle. The appearance of bats is very peculiar due to the strong development of the forelimbs, which play the role of wings. The limbs of bats are poorly adapted for locomotion on the ground. When climbing, bats cling to irregularities with the claws of the thumbs of their forelimbs and push off with their hind limbs. The latter are developed weaker than the former, but are quite sufficient for holding the bats' bodies in a hanging position for a long time. The skin of bats is rich in sensitive hairs and endings, especially on the wings, auricles, and skin outgrowths of the nose. Bats have a highly developed air sense, i.e., the ability to bypass obstacles encountered in flight, and this ability is preserved even when the functions of the eyes, olfactory organs, and hearing are turned off. For the winter, bats hibernate. Of the Microchiroptera found in the fauna of the USSR, there are: the lesser horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus hipposideros), the greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum), the brown long-eared bat (Plecotus auritus), the common pipistrelle (Pipistrellus pipistrellus), the noctule (Pterygistes noctula), and others. The food for these bats consists of various insects, including those harmful to man himself or in agricultural respects (butterflies, caterpillars, beetles, mosquitoes, and many others). Bats devour them in masses, making them useful animals that deserve full protection by man. It has been noted that if hollow trees are removed from forests (thus depriving bats of shelter and breeding sites), the consequence of this is an increase in the reproduction of forest pests from the class of insects. Due to their lifestyle, bats are exterminators of twilight and nocturnal insects. The belief that our bats suck the blood of animals and man is completely unfounded. In Brazil, however, there are representatives of the genera Desmodus and Diphylla considered true bloodsuckers; they have strongly developed sharp incisors and a very narrow esophagus, unsuitable for the passage of solid food. They probably feed on the blood of various mammals. Along with various insects, bats also devour mosquitoes, which gave rise to the use of bats as agents of biological control of mosquitoes (in particular of Anopheles), but these attempts have not yet given definite results.