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Do Bats Have Feathers?

Bats do not have feathers.

Bats are mammals and like all mammals have some amount of hair.  All bat species have spots of fur somewhere on their bodies.  Only birds have feathers.

Only Mammals Have Hair

Hair is a unique characteristic of the mammal family and is found in some form on every mammal at some point during their lifecycle.  Many mammals have patches of hair called pelage or more simply, fur.  Depending on the species, bats can have hair, fur, or a combination of both.

Only Birds Have Feathers

Did you know that only birds have feathers?  In fact, the presence of feathers is one of the characteristics that classify an animal as a bird.  For birds, feathers play an important role in mating, camouflage, communication, regulation of body temperature, territorial dominance, and of course, flying. 

Interestingly, well over one-hundred years ago, workers in a limestone quarry discovered a feather imprint, then later a complete skeleton of Archaeopteryx lithographica  was uncovered revealing that there was indeed a feathered dinosaur during the Jurassic period.  This early finding sparked an ongoing debate that birds evolved from dinosaurs.