Bat Appreciation Thread

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Any Bat fans here? Seems to be a Lot of interest in reptiles but when I posted a picture of an Indian Flying Fox in the llama thread it failed to generate as much excitement as I'd hoped . I love bats, but Im exclusively into Flying Foxes.
If microchiroptera are likened to flying mice than megachiroptera should be likened to flying racoons . Flying Foxes use vision rather than echolocation and their calls( audible to the human ear) are used to communicate. They also are quite a Bit more intelligent than regular bats(microchiroptera)and seem to take notice and interest in humans other than just something to bite.
Now it is illegal in most states to keep flying foxes because being mammals they are potential rabies vectors. But the thing is that Flying Foxes are just SO much larger and so totally unlike any (native)bat species in north america its highly unlikely that an escaped flying fox would intermingle with local bats.

I love Flying Foxes, but I don't know as much about them as I do about reptiles. I also don't know much about captive exotic mammals in general. I only know about the more popular exotic mammalian captives, and common mistakes that people make with them. I've never even heard of a captive bat outside of a zoo or sanctuary, but I'm sure it can be done.

I was just looking for pictures of flying foxes and I found this cute one of two orphan babies.



another cute baby:

Some scientists used to speculate that flying foxes could be related to primates because they share certain brain features with prosimians, in addition to the superficial physical resemblance. But I read that DNA evidence now suggests that bats are most closely related to ungulates - of all creatures.

I wonder if any of the Australians around here have actually seen a flying fox.

I've always had a thing for bats, I used to flash a light at them. I remember going into a cave and one flew right at me, scared the sh*t outta me.

Those pics are awwwdorable.

Bats are awesome. There was once a bat that died right in under our porch steps and we kept it there, even after it was nothing but bones. I think mom or somebody finally threw them away. I wanted to keep them in my room.

Bats are not necessarily awesome.

Flying foxes: those are awesome.


This picture makes me squirm. But in a good way.

I love bats. I wonder if it's possible to have a pet bat. They're basically rats with wings, and I see the rat-like features in their faces. :O)

None whatsoever.

^Then why are you posting in the appreciation thread?

Because?

j/k BTW.

Batty for bats topic

I only worry about them if they fly around erratically during the day. They could be rabid.

They are brilliant at night, with their sonic radar. And they eat a lot of destructive pests.

And they have a cute charm like skunks.

Riddle me this
Riddle me that
Who is afraid
Of the big black bat?

Batman_

I've never seen a bat in real life.

Although I have seen them on tv and think they're pretty cool. I saw them on Animal Planet coming out of a cave by the hundreds of thousands...it was incredible...like a water flow made of bats!

If anyone has seen a programme called "Corwins Quest" on Animal Planet, you will know that he is obsessed with bats. (thats the programme that I saw the bats on) And he rescued an orphined fruit bat in Australia...it was SO CUTE!

Bats are cool, because they're associated with vampires, which is something I love.