The megabat family, Pteropodidae, includes the largest bat species, some
weighing up to 1.45 kg (3.2 lb) with wingspans up to 1.7 m (5.6 ft),
as well as smaller species, some less than 50 g (1.8 oz). They are
found in tropical and subtropical areas of Eurasia, Africa, and Oceania.
Unlike other bats, they have dog-like faces and clawed second digits.
Well-adapted for flight, megabats have sustainable heart rates of more
than 700 beats per minute and large lungs. Most of them are active at
night. They roost in trees or caves, sometimes in colonies of up to a
million individuals. Most are unable to echolocate, relying instead on
their keen senses of sight and smell to navigate and locate food,
usually fruits or nectar. A quarter of all megabat species are listed as
threatened, due mainly to habitat destruction and overhunting. Even
though they can transmit a variety of dangerous viruses, they are a
popular food source for humans in some areas.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megabat>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1727:
George II and Caroline of Ansbach were crowned king and queen
of Great Britain in Westminster Abbey.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_of_Ansbach>
1877:
Scotland's worst mining accident occurred when an explosion at
a colliery in Blantyre, South Lanarkshire, killed 207 miners.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blantyre_mining_disaster>
1940:
After evading French and Spanish authorities, Belgian prime
minister Hubert Pierlot arrived in London, marking the beginning of the
Belgian government in exile.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgian_government_in_exile>
2001:
The controversial video game Grand Theft Auto III was first
released to critical acclaim, and went on to popularise open-world and
mature-content games.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Theft_Auto_III>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
lady-in-waiting:
1. A lady, often a noblewoman, in the household of a queen, princess, or
other woman of higher rank who attends her as a personal assistant,
generally a role considered an honour.
2. A woman who is a maid or servant to a lady, similar to a valet for a
gentleman.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lady-in-waiting>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something
you've understood all your life, but in a new way.
--Doris Lessing
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Doris_Lessing>