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

_______________________________ 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

_____________________________ 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

___________________________ 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