Introduction

Microchiropteran bats are also known as "echolocating bats" because they have the ability to use echolocation in obstacle avoidance and hunting. These bats occur on every continent but Antartica. Every food preference that is found in bats is represented in Microchiroptera, although the majority are predominatly insectivorous. Several notable microchiropteran bats include Craseonycteris (Bumblebee Bat), which is one of the smallest mammals in the world, Thyroptera (Disc-winged Bats), which attach to leaves using suction cuplike discs on the foot and thumb, and Desmodontinae, which are the only blood-feeding bats.

Classification outlines the higher-level classifications within Microchiroptera.