Usually, when we think of flying animals, the first thing that comes to mind is images of birds. But in the animal kingdom there are many other flying animals, from insects to mammals. It is true that, some of these animals do not fly, they only plan or have body structures that allow them to jump from great heights without being damaged when they reach the ground.
Even so, there are flying mammals that actually have the ability to fly, not just glide, like bats. In this article on our site we will show you the curious characteristics of flying mammals We also present a list with photos of the most representative species.
Characteristics of flying mammals
At first glance the wings of a bird and a bat can look very different. Birds have their wings covered with feathers and bats with fur, but nevertheless, looking at their bone structure we will see that they have the same bones: humerus, radius, ulna, carpals, metacarpals and phalanges.
In birds, some of the bones corresponding to the wrist and hand are missing, in bats they are not. These have incredibly lengthened their metacarpal and phalangeal bones, widening the end of the wing, except for the thumb, which maintains its small size and is used by bats to walk, climb or cling.
In order to fly, these mammals had to reduce their body weight in the same way that birds did, reducing the density of their bones, making them more porous and less heavy for flight. Their hind legs have been reduced and, being fragile bones, they cannot support the weight of the upright animal, which is why bats rest with their heads down.
Besides bats, other examples of flying mammals are flying squirrels or flying lemurs. These animals, instead of wings, have developed another flight strategy or, better said, gliding. The skin located between their front and rear legs and the one between their rear legs and tail, have suffered an overgrowth, creating a kind of parachute that they allows you to plan.
Below we show you some species of this curious group of mammals.
Brown Buzzard Bat (Myotis emarginatus)
This bat is size medium-small, it has large ears, as well as its snout. Its fur is reddish-blond on the back and lighter on the belly. They weigh between 5.5 and 11.5 grams.
They are native to Europe, Southwest Asia, and Northwest Africa. They prefer dense, wooded habitats where spiders, their main food source, thrive. They nest in cavernous areas, they are nocturnal and leave their shelters shortly before sunset, returning before dawn.
Medium Noctule (Nyctalus noctula)
Medium noctules are bats of large size, reaching 40 grams in weight. They have relatively short ears in proportion to the body. They have golden-brown hair, often reddish. The areas of the body that do not have hair, such as the wings, ears and snout are very dark, almost black.
They are distributed throughout the Eurasian continent, from the Iberian Peninsula to Japan, as well as North Africa. It is also a bat of wooded areas, it nests in tree hollows, although it can also be found in cracks in human buildings.
It is one of the first bats to go out to fly, before nightfall, so they can be seen flying together with birds such as swifts or swallows. They are partially migratory, at the end of the summer a large part of the population moves south.
Southern Garden Bat (Eptesicus isabellinus)
The garden bat is the size medium-large Its fur is yellowish. It has short, triangular dark colored ears, like the rest of the body that is not covered by hair. The females are somewhat larger than the males, reaching 24 grams in weight.
Their populations are distributed from northwestern Africa to the south of the Iberian Peninsula. It feeds on insects and lives in rock crevices, rarely in trees.
Northern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys sabrinus)
Flying squirrels have grayish-brown fur, except for their belly, which is white. Their tail is flattened and they have big eyes well developed, since they are nocturnal animals. They can weigh more than 120 grams.
They are distributed from Alaska to northern Canada They live in coniferous forests, where nut-producing trees abound. Their diet is very varied, they can eat acorns, nuts, other seeds, small fruits, flowers, mushrooms, insects and even small birds. They nest in the holes in trees and usually have two litters a year.
Southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans)
These squirrels are very similar to the northern flying squirrel, but their fur is lighter. They also have a flat tail and large eyes, like the northern ones. They live in forested areas from southern Canada to Texas. Their diet is similar to that of their northern cousins. They need the trees to take refuge in their cracks and nest.
Philippine flying lemur (Cynocephalus volans)
The flying lemur is a species of mammal that inhabits MalaysiaThey are dark mottled grey, with a lighter belly. Like flying squirrels, they have excess fur between their legs and tails that allows them to glide. Its tail is almost as long as the body. They can weigh about 2 kilograms. It feeds almost exclusively on leaves, flowers and fruits.
When female flying lemurs have young, they carry them in their bellies until they can fend for themselves. With them on top, they also jump and "fly". They inhabit wooded areas, standing in the highest part of the trees. It is a species vulnerable to extinction according to the IUCN, due to the destruction of its habitat.
