Chiroptera

The order of the chiroptères ( Chiroptera ) is an order of flying Mammifères, commonly called bats . The order of the chiroptères is the second of the mammals of many species (nearly 950), it is preceded by the order of the Rongeur S.

The chiroptères are the only gifted mammals of the active flight, to distinguish from the planed flight which the flying squirrels practice, the Phalanger S or the Galéopithèque S. They move in the airs thanks to a wing formed by a membrane of skin between the body, the members and the fingers. They are posed only exceptionally on the ground and are driven there awkwardly. They rest while being suspended on the asperities by the claws of the toes. Generally active the night, they have faculty to move in the darkness by emitting ultrasounds (echolocation). The bats thus locate the insects of which they are nourished. They emit sound waves which are reflected on the insects in full vol.

Anatomy

the wings

The bones of the front armlever, the Metacarpus S and the phalange S of the second to the fifth finger are very lengthened and form the structure of the wing. The airfoil of the wing or patagium is a fold of skin containing a very great number of blood-vessels, nerves and muscles. The fabric which forms the wing of will chiroptera is one of those which is regenerated most quickly in all the animal kingdom. Its strong vascularization allows the thermal regulation by contact with the air at the time of the activity. The inch is not included/understood in patagium and is equipped with a claw. The membrane located between the heel, the end of the tail and the basin - that one names uropatagium - can be useful, when it is broad, to catch the insects or to accommodate the small ones during the low setting. As in the birds, the sternum forms a peak (the Bréchet) where the powerful pectoral ones stick.

hearing

The majority of the chiroptères move thanks to the echolocation - the same principle as the Sonar. It is in 1791 that Lazzaro Spallanzani showed that plugged, the bat could still move effectively, but made deaf, it of it was not able any more.

In practice, the chiroptères emit Ultrason S by the mouth or the nose - this one has a form adaptée then; - while making vibrate their vocal cords. Its ultrasounds vary in a frequency between 10 Khz and 120 Khz - they are not perceptible by the man who perceives the sounds only for frequencies 20 Hz with 20 Khz.

The ears, of which some can be very large and equipped with a Tragus, are used as receivers.

The echo which results from the emitted ultrasounds makes it possible this small mammal to locate the objects, to determine of it the size and its movement with an extraordinary precision. Tests on a African chiroptère showed that it could hear the steps of a Coléoptère going on sand.

the vision

The eyes of the bats are developed generally little and their vision is bad.

Habitat

underground cavities: caves, old careers, cellars, undergrounds, tunnels… During the winter, it is the place of hibernation of a majority of species, and in particular of the cavernicoles, the 3 species of rhinolophes (large murine, murine with moustache and minioptère). The other species pass there or remain there more or less a long time. These underground cavities have for the majority a too low temperature for the reproduction.
cavities of the trees for the forestry species during the hibernation and the reproduction: noctules, the barbastelle one, the russet-red oreillard, of murine of Bechstein and Natterer. For other species they are secondary lodgings.
buildings in the places where heat accumulates like place of reproduction, attics and roofs for the murine ones and the large one and small the rhinolophe or cracks and small cavities for the small species, pipistrelles and barbastelles.
the lower part of the bridges is often a habitat of transit.
They sleep in general 20 hours per day the upside down.

A good knowledge of their habitat will make it possible to preserve their traditional lodgings of hibernation in particular the caves and the careers and, to replace the disappearance of some others lodgings, the installation of Nichoir S (hollow bricks under the bridges, hollow logs or small planks in the attics).

Reproduction

The chiroptères reach their sexual maturity of the first at the third year following the species. After having chosen a place of parturition, heat, which can give place to a great migration, the females generally give rise to only one small because the gemellity is usual only at the pipistrelles ones and the noctules. They raise their small without the males in these maternal colonies. They are equipped with two Mamelle s.
The bats are born naked and blind, they go after a few days but, if the flight is innate, with the birth their wings are developed too little to support them in the airs. The young people Microchiroptère S are autonomous towards six to eight weeks while the Mégachiroptère S are it around four months.

Predatory

Being given their lifestyle, the chiroptères count few predatory. In Europe, they can however be the prey of the Chouette S, Hibou X and Faucon S. But their worst enemies are the parasitic S. Their wings, with the many blood-vessels, are a source of ideal food for the Tique S and the chip S. The Serpent S are frequent in their underground collective dormitories, undoubtedly like predatory. In Africa, in much of areas, the dogfish is a game and a dish of choice.

Declining population

In Europe, one counts 38 species belonging to 4 families: 1 molossidé, 5 rhinolophidés, 31 vespertilionidés and 1 minioptéridé. They all are of the primarily insectivorous microchiroptères.

It should be noted that the majority of the bats are declining, one notes a frightening stressing of the insulation of the populations and colonies. The reasons of this decline are multiple but are all related to the human activity.

the immoderate use of the plant health pesticides and other products causes on the one hand the rarefaction and the vulgarizing of entomological fauna. However, it is known that all the species of bats living in Europe are insectivorous. Their reserves of food thus are threatened more and more. In addition, these products kill the bats by direct ingestion.

the fragmentation of the wooded areas, wet and wild is also responsible for the decline of the chiroptères, like all the landscape modifications related to the activities of the man (monoculture, draining of wetlands, pollution of the grounds,…)

In wintry time, the majority of the bats winter in underground cavities. The increased frequentation of these sites (speleology, tourism of mass, etc) intensifies their decline.

the bats need very specific conditions to reproduce. However these sites of reproduction tend to disappear, in particular in the recent architecture which leaves little place to unoccupied spaces under the roofs. The destruction or the restoration of old buildings, the disappearance of the access to the bell-towers or the roofs or the hollow tree felling do nothing but amplify this tendency.

Protection

All the species of bats present in France are completely protected by the Ministerial decree of May 23rd, 2007 relating to protection from the mammals according to the L.411-1 article from the Code from the Environment.

Since 1979, of the international level, the Convention of Bonn and the Convention of Bern require of the contracting States to ensure the protection of all the species of bats described in the appendices, as well as the protection of the lodgings of reproduction and hibernation.

In 1992, the Directive " Habitat - Fauna - Flore" ask the countries European Community the strict protection of all the species of chiroptères (they appear in appendix IV), as well as the designation of Special Zones of Conservation for the 12 species appearing in appendix II.

19 species are classified in the red list of the fauna threatened of France and 13 species are present on the world red list.

Cultural aspects

The bats are crowned with the Tonga, in England, in Australia, in Bosnia and West Africa. They are often regarded as the physical demonstration of a wandering spirit. They are closely associated with the myth of the Vampire S with which one lends the capacity to be metamorphosed in animals, in particular in bats. They are also the symbol of the phantoms, died and the diseases.

For the Indians of America (such Creeks, Cherokees and Apaches), they represent a malignant spirit. In China, the bat is the symbol of longevity and cheerfulness. They carry chance in Poland and Macedonia.

In the Occidental culture, the bats are often comparable at the night with a connotation of misfortune or death.

In popular works they are at the origin of characters such as Dracula the vampire, Batman the dispenser of justice, and Shade Wing of Money, the hero of a trilogy chiroptérienne written by the Canadian author Kenneth Oppel (three volumes are entitled Silverwing , Sunwing , and Firewing ).

The bat is the emblem of the town of Valence and the rum mark Bacardi.

Superstitions

False ideas which circulate on the bats

These flying mammals are however perfectly inoffensive for the man.

the bats are not blind and generally do not suck the blood of human, (although it can arrive in very rare cases which they suck the blood of human deadened as low explained) only some subtropical species (vampires) suck the blood of the cattle -.

They do not cling in the hair.

the bats do not build a nest. They use the natural or artificial lodgings (roofs, bell-towers, bridges, etc); they do not modify to in no case the lodging which is offered to them.

the bats do not attack the woodworks; they are not rodents.

No risk to see the bats pullulating: they have with more the one small one per annum.

the bats were persecuted a long time because of their alleged evil spells. By nailing them with the doors of the barns, one believed to fight against the bad fates.

Charges undoubtedly founded

Some species (non-European) can suck human blood, and are thus shown to transmit the virus Ebola and that of the Rage.

Systematic and taxonomy

Taxonomy

In French, the bat term derives from late Latin undermined-sorix through its deformation in calve-sorix ; undermined means owl and calve bald person. The Chiroptère term derives from the Greek to kheir (ἣ χείρ): the hand and ptéron (τὸ πτερόν usually plural τὰ πτερά, singular indicating the feather rather): the wing.

Position in the phylogenetic tree

See also: phylogenetic Classification of alive (first edition) the, Mammalia (phylogenetic classification)

The recent genetic studies show that the real position of the chiroptères in the phylogenetic tree is different from the traditional position. The primates and the dermoptères, formerly thought like close relatives, of it are in fact rather distant.

List families

Both Sub-order S and families of chiroptères are:

Mégachiroptères

Ptéropodidés (dogfish, Fox stealing,…)

Microchiroptères

Craséonyctéridés (Craséonycte)
Emballonuridés (Emballonure, Rynchonyctère,…)
Furiptéridés (Fury)
Mégadermatidés (false-vampire)
Molossidés (Molosse, Mulot stealing…)
Mormoopidés (Bat with moustache,…)
Mystacinidés (Bat with short tail)
Myzopodidés (Vespertilion gilded)
Natalidés (Bat with tubulées ears)
Noctilionidés (Noctilion)
Nyctéridés (Nyctère)
Phyllostomidés (Chiroderme, vampire,…)
Rhinolophidés (Phyllorine, Rhinolophe,…)
Rhinopomatidés (Rhinopome)
Thyropteridés (Thyroptère)
Vespertilionidés (Kérivoule, Oreillard, Pipistrelle, Vespertilion,…)

The mégachiroptères are especially twilight, hardly move the night and move especially thanks to their eyes and their sense of smell. They nourish fruits, flowers and of pollen.
The microchiroptères make use of the echolocation. Their food mode is very varied.

In the event of bites

If one at the time of touching a bat for a reason or another and that, in this case, one accidentally undergoes (it is extremely rare) a bite of this animal, it is absolutely imperative to go in an anti-rabic center to be made manage a vaccine against the rage.

Environment

The University of Florida (Gainesville) was invaded by the mosquitos. In September 1991, one “beats house” able to accommodate: 200,000 bat was built with roof of slats and good conditions of temperature and circulation of air, and was left with natural colonization after a first test of transfer remained unfruitful.

In spring, 18 males settled, followed by 300 others in the year, all of the males, it acted of bat without tail of Brazil. At spring 1995, arrived more: 1,000 females which gave rise to hundreds of small bat. In May 1998, about: 70,000 chiroptères populated the beat-house, consuming each night a few 60 million insects considered harmful, which made it possible not to use the least chemicals more and thus to make important economies.

This population of bat, attracted their predatory, of many owls and falcons, but also of many human guetteurs, amateurs of chiroptères and birds. A few years later, the experiment was renewed with another beat-house on the side of the lake Alice.

See too

alphabetical Biospéléologie
List of the names of kinds of chiroptères
alphabetical List of the vernacular names of chiroptères
detailed List of the families and kinds of chiroptères
European Night of the bald person mouse

bat

External bonds

Bald person mouse Complete records on the bat, file Futura-sciences

Site of the natural history museum of Bourges, specialized on the bat.

Appendix II (Relative convention with the conservation of the wild life and the natural environment of Europe)

Appendix IV (Relative convention with the conservation of the wild life and the natural environment of Europe)

the bat of experimentation on the site of the Canadian Council of protection of Animals.

Loxias 16: Mythology of the bat in the literature and art

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