| Noun | 1. | Chiroptera - an old order dating to early Eocene: bats: suborder Megachiroptera (fruit bats); suborder Microchiroptera (insectivorous bats) animal order - the order of animals Eutheria, subclass Eutheria - all mammals except monotremes and marsupials bat, chiropteran - nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate Megachiroptera, suborder Megachiroptera - fruit bats Microchiroptera, suborder Microchiroptera - most of the bats in the world; all bats except fruit bats insectivorous bats |