Where does this come from, and can I check it?

Wing membranes stretched over elongated finger bones enable bat flight. The figure is taken from Natural History Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

Is this really a animals fact?

Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.

What else can I read about it?

The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.

Mondo Knows Facts

Bats are the only mammals capable of true sustained flight

Wing membranes stretched over elongated finger bones enable bat flight.

While flying squirrels and sugar gliders only glide through the air, bats flap flexible wing membranes supported by lengthened hand bones. Their agile flight combined with sophisticated echolocation lets bats navigate and catch insects in total darkness.

Where this comes from

Natural History Museum

Facts that can change over time are reviewed and updated. If something here looks wrong, Mondo would rather know than be confidently incorrect.

Go further

Nature & Animals trivia Speed Calculator

More facts like this

Wandering albatrosses can fly thousands of miles without flappingAlbatrosses exploit ocean wind shear gradients using dynamic soaring.Common swifts can stay airborne for ten months continuouslySwifts feed, mate, and sleep in mid-air without landing on ground.Beaver front teeth are orange because they contain ironIron incorporated into beaver tooth enamel protects against wear from wood.Hippos secrete a red oily liquid that acts as sunscreenHippos produce red sweat that blocks ultraviolet rays and bacteria.Naked mole-rats rarely get cancer and live over thirty yearsHigh molecular weight hyaluronan protects naked mole-rat cells.Nine-banded armadillos almost always give birth to identical quadrupletsA single fertilized egg splits into four identical embryos every time.

Tags: bat, mammals, flight

Bats are the only mammals capable of true sustained flight: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Wing membranes stretched over elongated finger bones enable bat flight. The figure is taken from Natural History Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a animals fact?: Yes. It sits on the Animals shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.