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| Chiroptera | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Clade: | Scrotifera |
| Order: | Chiroptera Blumenbach, 1779 |
| Suborders | |
(traditional): (recent): | |
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| Worldwide distribution of bat species | |
Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera. Bats are nocturnal – they are active during the night, dusk, or dawn and they sleep during the day.
Most use echolocation to catch prey and to find their way about. As nighttime animals, bats avoid direct competition with birds, few of which are nocturnal.
Bats usually live in caves or trees. In North America and in Europe they sometimes live in people's houses or barns. They are protected animals in the UK.
Bats are a successful group. They are the second largest order of mammals: there are more than 1,400 species of bats. This means that 20% of all living mammal species – one in five – are bats.
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