Flying Bats

     A bat is the only mammal that can fly.

See how similar a bat skeleton and a human skeleton are.
What do they have in common? What is different?

bat skeleton
Bat Skeleton

skeleton

Human Skeleton

batwing        hand/wing

Bat wings are made of two thin layers of skin stretched over the bat's arm and fingers. Bats have a thumb and four fingers, just like people.

The bat's fingers are very long compared to its body. If we had fingers like a bat, they would be longer than our legs!

The thumb of a bat is like a claw. It is used to help a bat move across rough surfaces like cave walls. Can you find the bat thumb?

wing     wing3

When bats fly, they don't just flap up and down. If you watch them closely, it almost looks like they're pulling themselves through the air -- the movement is similar to the butterfly stroke in swimming.butterfly stroke