Bat
Chiroptera, commonly known as bats, are an order of placental mammals comprising nearly 1,400 species, or a quarter of the nearly 5,000 known mammal species ; with 175 genera grouped into 20 families,,. It is the largest group of mammals after the rodents (Rodentia). These nocturnal flying animals are often able to echolocate (an ability developed above all in insectivorous microchiroptera ; mainly active at night, they navigate in the dark by emitting ultrasound, the reflection of which they capture, thus echolocating their prey and obstacles. Megachiropters, on the other hand, rely more on sight and smell.)
Chiropterans are the only mammals capable of active flight, as distinct from the gliding flight practised by flying squirrels, phalangers and gallopithecines. They move through the air thanks to a wing formed by a membrane of skin between the body, limbs and fingers. Most species only land on the ground in exceptional cases and move clumsily. They rest by hanging on to rough surfaces with the claws of their toes.
Two suborders were classically accepted : the Microchiroptera with small eyes and large ears and the Megachiroptera with large eyes and small ears. The Microchiroptera comprise 17 families, approximately 146 genera and 814 species, of small relative size, capable of echolocation, and the Megachiroptera comprise only one family with approximately 41 genera and 170 species, including the famous flying foxes, of large relative size (Dobson 1875). Recently, on molecular grounds, the order has been redivided into two new suborders to break the paraphyly of the Microchiroptera : the Yinpterochiroptera and the Yangochiroptera (Teeling et al. 2002, Teeling et al. 2005).
In anthropogenic or deforested areas, many chiropteran species are in steep decline or have locally disappeared. Some are the subject of restoration plans or have protected status, including in France.
In popular culture, the image of bats can be either beneficial or evil, depending on the country. Because of their strange appearance and nocturnal life, and consequently the mystery surrounding their way of life, they are often the victims of preconceived ideas that have long led to their persecution.()
