Thursday, February 14, 2008

Megabat - Megachiroptera


Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Pteropodidae
Genus: Pteropus
Secies: Tokudae

Megabats, commonly known as fruit bats, live only in the tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Asia, Australasia, and Oceania.

Megabats range in size from 2 inches to 16 inches. Their wing span can reach almost 5 feet wide. Most bats have large eyes used to obtain light inside caves and forests. These bats do not follow the rule of ecoholocation and instead have an incredible sense of smell. Megabats are also carriers of the Marbug Virus, a disease highly dangerous to humans.

Megabats eat fruits or lick nectar from flowers. The bats often crush the fruit and consume only the fruit juice. They have developed teeth that are able to bite through hard skins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat

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