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- Dictionarybat/bat/
noun
- 1. an implement with a handle and a solid surface, typically of wood, used for hitting the ball in games such as cricket, baseball, and table tennis: "a cricket bat"
verb
- 1. (of a sports team or player) take the role of hitting rather than throwing the ball: "Australia reached 263 for 4 after choosing to bat"
- 2. hit at (someone or something) with the flat of one's hand: "he batted the flies away"
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Learn the meaning of bat as a noun and a verb in English, with synonyms, idioms, and phrasal verbs. See how to use bat in different contexts, such as sports, animals, and eyes.
- English (US)
BAT meaning: 1. a specially shaped piece of wood used for...
- Baseball Bat
Examples of how to use “baseball bat” in a sentence from...
- Znaczenie Bat, Definicja W Cambridge English Dictionary
BAT definicja: 1. a specially shaped piece of wood used for...
- Bat Spanish Translation
BAT translate: bate, pala, murciélago, batear, bate...
- English (US)
Learn the various meanings and uses of the word bat, from a club or a blow to a flying mammal or a verb. See synonyms, examples, etymology, and related phrases of bat.
Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (/ k aɪ ˈ r ɒ p t ə r ə /). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium.
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bat, (order Chiroptera), any member of the only group of mammals capable of flight. This ability, coupled with the ability to navigate at night by using a system of acoustic orientation (echolocation), has made the bats a highly diverse and populous order. More than 1,200 species are currently recognized, and many are enormously abundant. Observers...
All bats have a generally similar appearance in flight, dominated by the expanse of the wings, but they vary considerably in size. The order is usually divided into two well-defined suborders: the Megachiroptera (the large Old World fruit bats) and the Microchiroptera (small bats found worldwide). Among members of the Megachiroptera, flying foxes (Pteropus) have a wingspan of 1.5 metres (about 5 feet) and a weight of 1 kg (2.2 pounds). The largest insectivorous bat is probably the naked, or hairless, bat (Cheiromeles torquatus); it weighs about 250 grams (about 9 ounces). The largest of the carnivorous bats (and the largest bat in the New World) is the spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum), also known as the tropical American false vampire bat, with a wingspan of over 60 cm (24 inches). The tiny hog-nosed, or bumblebee, bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) of Thailand is one of the smallest mammals. It has a wingspan of barely 15 cm (6 inches) and weighs about 2 grams (about 0.07 ounce).
Bats vary in colour and in fur texture. Facial appearance, dominated by the muzzle and ears, varies strikingly between families and often between genera. In several families a complex fleshy adornment called the nose leaf surrounds the nostrils. Although the exact function of these facial appurtenances has yet to be determined, scientists believe they may help to direct outgoing echolocation calls (see below Orientation). Wing proportions are modified according to mode of flight. The tail and the membrane between the legs also differ, perhaps as adaptations to feeding, flight, and roosting habits. Finally, bats vary in the postures they assume when roosting, particularly in whether they hang suspended or cling to a wall and in the manner in which the wings are folded and used.
Bats are particularly abundant in the tropics. In West Africa, for example, more than 30 genera embracing nearly 100 species have been cataloged; in the United States 19 genera, totaling about 45 species, are known. Of the 18 bat families, 3—the vesper bats (family Vespertilionidae), free-tailed bats (family Molossidae), and horseshoe bats (family Rhinolophidae)—are well represented in the temperate zones. A few American leaf-nosed bats (family Phyllostomidae) range into mild temperate regions. Several vesper bats range well into Canada.
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The Vespertilionidae are found worldwide except in the polar regions and on isolated islands. The brown bats of genus Myotis have a range almost equal to that of the entire order. The free-tailed bats and sheath-tailed bats (family Emballonuridae) also encircle the Earth but are restricted to the tropics and subtropics. The horseshoe bats extend throughout the Old World, the roundleaf bats (family Hipposideridae) and Old World fruit bats (family Pteropodidae) throughout the Old World tropics, and the leaf-nosed bats throughout the New World tropics and slightly beyond. The other families have more restricted ranges.
Most bats are insectivorous, and they are important to humans primarily for their predation on insects, for pollination, and for seed dispersal. Little is known of the spectrum of insect species consumed, but the sheer quantity is formidable. The Mexican free-tailed bats of Texas have been estimated to consume about 9,100 metric tons (10,000 tons) of insects per year. Bats would thus seem to be important in the balance of insect populations and possibly in the control of insect pests.
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Some bats feed on pollen and nectar and are the principal or exclusive pollinators of a number of tropical and subtropical plants. Others feed on fruit and aid in dispersing seeds, although bananas and figs must in some cases be protected from fruit-eating bats by early harvest or by nets.
Vampire bats (family Phyllostomidae, subfamily Desmodontinae) are considered serious pests of livestock in some parts of tropical America because the small wounds they cause provide egg-laying sites for parasites and because the vampires may transmit rabies and trypanosomiasis to cattle. Other bats also carry rabies or related viruses.
The guano (droppings) of insectivorous bats is still used for agricultural fertilizer in many countries and in the past was used as a source of nitrogen and phosphorus for munitions. Large guano deposits, in addition, cover and thus preserve many archaeologically interesting artifacts and fossils in caves.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly and use sound waves to navigate at night. Learn about their diversity, distribution, importance, and threats from Britannica.
Bat definition: the wooden club used in certain games, as baseball and cricket, to strike the ball.. See examples of BAT used in a sentence.
Learn the meaning and usage of the word bat as a noun in American English. Bat can refer to a piece of wood for hitting the ball in baseball, or an animal with wings that flies at night.
5 days ago · Learn the different meanings and uses of the word bat in English, from a piece of wood for hitting the ball to a flying animal with wings. See synonyms, pronunciation, grammar, and examples of bat in various contexts.
