Lead
The wide adaptability of the living environment allows bats to maintain a relatively rich ecological role, making them an indispensable part of the ecological environment.
Bats are nocturnal mammals that have piqued the interest of scientists with their unique flight abilities and ecological roles, as they have shown very strong abilities in flight.
Some bats are able to "catch and catch" and forage in the woods, some can fly between the treetops, and some even can forage at sea.
Bats are very capable of flying, so scientists are constantly studying the principles of bat flight, hoping to gain some secrets of flight from bats.
But at the same time, bats are also considered to be natural hosts for many deadly viruses, which makes bats considered to be a very "virulent" animal.
Scientists have also discovered a strong immune system and DNA repair capabilities from bats, which has led scientists to believe that bats are very special creatures.
There are also some special genes in the DNA of bats that are not found in the immune system, which has led scientists to believe that the DNA repair ability of bats must be very powerful.
But why do bats have such a strong immune system and DNA repair ability, and why are they considered to be very "toxic" animals?
1. The ability of bats to fly.
Bats are mammals that are capable of flying, so the wings that extend from the phalanges of their forelimbs are also the reason why they are able to fly.
The wings of bats are mainly formed by the extension of the phalanx of the forelimbs, the longest of which is the third phalange, which is also longer, and the first phalange, which is the shortest.
Between these limb bones is a thin epithelium, a membranous structure called the wing membrane of bats, and the structure of their forelimb phalanx and wing membranes is somewhat similar to that of human arms and fingers.
But these "fingers" and "arms" are very long, so their wing membranes are also very large, so that bats can fly in the air.
The wing membranes of bats not only help them fly, but also help them regulate their body temperature and keep it in a suitable range.
Bats need to expend a lot of energy during flight, so the bat's body temperature will continue to rise, and during flight, bats can dissipate heat through their skin and wing membranes to expel the overheated body temperature.
The bat's wing membranes also help them "glide" during flight, which saves energy to a certain extent, so bats are able to fly in the air for long periods of time.
The flight ability of bats is very powerful, usually the speed of bat flight can reach 60~80 kilometers per hour, and the fastest bats can even reach 100 kilometers per hour.
Therefore, bats are able to fly at high speeds in the air, so their flight ability is very powerful, but the ability of bats to fly is related to their feeding habits.
Bats feed on a wide range of species, some feed on small insects, some on fruits, some on fish and other small animals, and even on the blood of mammals and birds.
This variety of diets allows bats to survive, and while they have a wide range of diets, they also fly in a variety of ways:
For example, bats that feed on fruits will cinch the fruit into a ball with their claws when they eat it, and then suck the juice of the fruit through their teeth to obtain food.
Another type of bat is the bat that catches food in trees with its hind legs, they will fly between the treetops during their flight, and when they find food, they will stop on the treetops with their hind legs and peck the food off with their mouths.
There is also a type of bat that feeds on fish, they will be suspended in the air during flight, and when they spot a fish, they will dive directly into the water from the air, and then grab the fish with their claws, and then grab the fish from the water.
There is also a class of bats that feed on blood, and they suck blood from mammals and birds as they fly, so these bats are called "vampire bats".
2. Reasons why bats carry viruses.
Most animals carry some viruses, but only a very small number of viruses affect humans, and these viruses are usually transmitted to humans.
Therefore, people know that "wild animals carry the virus", but few people know that "bats carry the virus", because wild animals and bats carry different viruses.
The viruses carried by bats are mainly some viruses unknown to humans, and these viruses usually do not harm the bats themselves, but they can harm humans, which is why bats are considered to be a very "virulent" animal.
There are several reasons why bats carry the virus:
One is that bats are social animals, so bats are very close to each other, which also makes it easy for bats to spread viruses among themselves.
Bats are very close to each other, and they often groom each other, which leads to frequent contact between bats with bodily fluids, which makes it easy to spread the virus.
Bats often forage in the same woods, making it easier for bats to come into contact with each other's bodily fluids and spread the virus.
Second, bats have a very wide range of diets, and different types of bats will eat different kinds of food, and these foods are likely to be some organisms with viruses.
Therefore, bats will inadvertently eat these virus-carrying foods in the process of foraging, which will cause bats to carry the virus.
Third, bats will fly to many different woods and rivers and lakes in the process of foraging, which will make bats often come into contact with different virus sources, so that they can easily come into contact with different virus sources.
As a result, bats are more likely to carry the virus.
Another point is that bats are animals that can fly for a long time, so bats need to consume a lot of energy in the process of flying, and this energy consumption will make the immune system of bats more fragile, so that they are susceptible to viruses.
But bats themselves have a strong immune system, and their immune system has evolved an interferon that inhibits viral replication, which can inhibit the replication of the virus in the bat, thereby protecting the bat from being infected by the virus.
Bats also have a strong DNA repair mechanism, which allows the bat's DNA to be easily repaired, thus avoiding DNA damage.
Therefore, there are some special genes in the DNA of bats that are not found in the immune system, and these special genes can help bats fight against viruses.
But this antiviral ability is also limited, and when the bat's immune system, which suppresses the replication of the virus, interferon, is suppressed, the bat's immune system becomes very fragile and thus susceptible to the virus.
When bats are infected with viruses, there are enzymes in their DNA that can break down the viruses from their DNA, thereby mitigating the damage to bats.
However, when bats are infected with the virus, their immune system will suppress its own inflammatory response, which will make the virus stay in the bat's body for a long time, resulting in the bat being in a state of carrying the virus all the time.
III. Conclusion
Therefore, bats are not only carriers of human diseases, but also play an important role in the ecosystem, such as seed spreaders, and scientists should also consider the ecological value of bats.
Now that people are intersecting with wildlife, there is a need for more intensive monitoring of wildlife to reduce the risk of virus transmission.
We can also get some inspiration from the immune system and DNA repair mechanism of bats, and studying the immune system and DNA repair mechanism of bats can help us better understand the prevention and control mechanism of diseases, which is of great significance for medical research.
Protecting wildlife is not only for human health, but also for ecological balance and natural diversity, so we should formulate more comprehensive conservation policies to allow humans to live in harmony with nature and respect biodiversity.
Personal opinion
As a nocturnal mammal, bats have a different living environment with us humans, and we should respect the living environment of bats and live in harmony with bats.
The harmonious coexistence of human beings and nature and respect for biodiversity are the cornerstones of sustainable human development, and we hope that all sectors of society can work together.