Re: How bats got off the ground (online article)

[K and T Dykes <ktdykes@arcor.de>]

<<It's interesting to note that today: Birds are the most diverse land
vertebrate group. Bats are the most diverse mammal group. Flying insects are
the most diverse animal group.>>

Our Guinea girls (they don't like being called pigs) wish to raise an
objection, Roberto.  They're holding up a notice.

Chiropera (bats) 928 extant species
Rodentia (mice, squirrels, Guinea girls, beavers) 2,024 extant species
Go, go Ro-dentia!

They inform me the figures come from: Archibald JD (2001), Eutheria
(Placental Mammals), in Encyclopedia of Life Sciences, Nature Publishing
Group, (p.1-4 in our copy).  That's not necessarily the original pagination,
but it's page 2 of their print.

http://www.bio.sdsu.edu/faculty/archibald.html/Archibald%20Eutheria%2004.pdf

They freely admit to not being very good at flying.
Cheers
Trevor

Mesozoic eucynodonts
http://home.arcor.de/ktdykes/meseucaz.htm
The Mesozoic - more than just the dinosaur