Conservation Status of Flying Mammal: Bats

(Uploaded by Plazi for the Bat Literature Project) Bats belong to order Chiroptera of class Mammalia and are the only mammals that are capable of true flight. There are over 4,000 mammalian species in the world and almost one in four of them is a bat. At present, there are approximately 1001 species of bats that are subcategorized as Megachiroptera (1 Family, 167 frugivorous bat species) and Microchiroptera (16 Families, 834 insectivorous species). They are found all over the world except the Arctic, the Antarctic and some isolated islands. One of most unique features of bats is their modified forelimbs which support a wing membrane- Patagium (Flight adaptation). Bats play an important role in various ecosystems as they are important pollinators, seed dispersers and the most effective biological control agents of insect pests.