Bats Are The Only Mammal That Can Actually Fly
Doodlebrary
- Bats are not the only mammals that can fly, but they are the only mammals capable of sustained powered flight.
- Flying squirrels, for example, are also mammals that can glide through the air, but they do not have true powered flight like bats.
- Bats belong to the order Chiroptera, which includes over 1,400 species of bats.
- They have wings with a flexible membrane of skin stretched between elongated finger bones.
- This allows them to generate lift and actively fly, rather than simply gliding.
- Other mammals, such as flying lemurs and flying squirrels, have adapted to glide through the air using a membrane of skin between their limbs, but they cannot achieve sustained flight like bats.
- These animals primarily use gliding as a means of getting from tree to tree or escaping predators.
- So, while bats are unique among mammals for their true powered flight capability, they are not the only mammals capable of any form of aerial movement.
