Bats are mammals in the order Chiroptera (pronounced /kaɪˈrɒptərə/). The forelimbs of bats are webbed and developed as wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums and colugos, glide rather than fly, and only for short distances.

Bats do not flap their entire forelimbs, like birds, but instead flap their spread out digits, which are very long and covered with a thin membrane or patagium. Chiroptera comes from two Greek words, cheir (χειρ) "hand" and pteron (πτερον) "wing." There are about 1,100 bat species worldwide, which represent about 20 percent of all classified mammal species. About 70 percent of bats are insectivores.

Most of the rest are frugivores, and a few species are carnivorous. Bats are present throughout most of the world and perform vital ecological roles pollinating flowers and dispersing the seeds of fruit. Many tropical plants depend entirely on bats for the distribution of their seeds.

Bats range in size from Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat measuring 29–33 mm (1.14–1.30 in) in length and 2 g (0.07 oz) in mass, to the Giant golden-crowned flying fox which has a wing span of 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) and weighs approximately 1.2 kg (3 lb).

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