Megachiroptera

A Dictionary of Zoology | 1999 | 700+ words | Copyright

Megachiroptera (flying foxes, fruit bats; cohort Unguiculata, order Chiroptera) A suborder of large bats, with a wing-span of up to 1.5 m, that roost in colonies usually in trees (except in the only cave-dwelling genus, Rousettus), often feed in large groups, emit loud cries, and orientate by sight and smell, not by echolocation (except in one genus, Rousettus). Most feed on fruit. The snout is long, the teeth are flattened for grinding, the tail lies below the uropatagium and is not part of it, and the second digit of each fore limb has three joints and a claw. Megachiropterans retain certain primitive features in the skull and are less specialized than microchiropterans. The suborder comprises only one family, Pteropodidae, containing about 45 genera, with more than 170 species, distributed throughout the Old World tropics and subtropics.

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

MLA
Chicago
APA

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Megachiroptera." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 30 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Megachiroptera." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (May 30, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Megachiroptera.html

MICHAEL ALLABY. "Megachiroptera." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved May 30, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-Megachiroptera.html

Learn more about citation styles