Are Bats Mammals?

Bats are found in almost every part of the world. These winged, nocturnal navigators have inspired many legends and myths. Few animals in the world have been as misunderstood and maligned as bats, but they are harmless, and even beneficial, creatures.

The typical little brown bat, Myotis lucifugus, eats thousands of mosquitoes, midges, and flies every night. Contrary to popular belief, bats are not blind. However, their vision is poor and they rely mostly on echolocation to identify prey and navigation. Their bad reputation is probably caused by their association with vampires, their love of caves, their nocturnal ways, and their strange, leathery wings. Are they birds, or are they flying mammals?

What Is a Mammal?

To be classed as a mammal, an animal must be a vertebrate, which means they have a backbone and a cranium. Mammals must also give birth to live young, except for monotremes, which lay eggs. All female mammals can nurse their young with milk secreted from their mammary glands. Mammals are endothermic. This means they can regulate their body temperature regardless of their environment. The other term for this is “warm-blooded.”

All mammals have fur or hair covering their skin. Some marine mammals have less fur or hair due to evolutionary adaptations for insulation and streamlined swimming. Over centuries of evolution, they have lost their hair, but they all had hair at some point in their development. Mammals breathe with their lungs. Even animals who live their entire lives in water must come to the surface to breathe. Mammals also have more complex societies than other species. They can communicate with each other and form social groups.

How Do Bats Compare?

Considering the characteristics of mammals, how do bats measure up? Bats are vertebrates because they have a backbone and a cranium. Bats also breathe with their lungs. Female bats give birth to live babies. Typically, a bat has one baby a year. A mother bat nurses her pup with milk from her mammary glands for up to six months. Bats are also warm-blooded animals. They are covered in fur, which helps them retain heat and maintain their body temperature.

Bats roost in colonies and have other signs of complex social interaction. They communicate with each other and recognize individuals by sound. Scientists have found that bats’ social calls can deter predators and competitors, lead group members to roosting sites, coordinate foraging, and even attract mates. So, bats are mammals, as they meet the proper criteria.

How Bats Are Classified

Bats are divided into two groups. The Microchiroptera group includes the small bats common to most places. Also known as microbats, they live everywhere on earth except the Arctic. These bats have long tails and small faces with short snouts. They use high-frequency echoes to navigate.

The second group, Megachiroptera, includes the large bats that live in Australia, Asia, Africa, and India. Also called fruit bats or flying foxes, their wingspans can be five feet or more. Flying foxes have short tails and long snouts. Unlike microbats, they navigate by sight and hearing.