Pregnancy in chiroptera.

Abstract

As with other aspects of their biology, bats exhibit considerable diversity in their reproductive characteristics. While early embryonic development in many species generally adheres to the pattern shown by more commonly studied eutherian mammals, others demonstrate advanced development in the oviduct (to the zona-free blastocyst stage) and a prolonged tubal journey of the embryo in a temporal sense. In some bats, the process for transporting ova through the oviducts can distinguish between living embryos and the remnants of dead ova. Implantation in bats is unusually diverse with respect to localization of the nidation sites (which in most species seem to be predetermined), orientation of the inner cell mass during implantation, depth of implantation, and trophoblastic invasiveness. Some species which can be bred in captivity would appear to be promising experimental models for studies of implantation because both this process and their endometrial biology in general exhibit many similarities to those of humans. Depending upon the species, bats develop either endotheliochorial or hemochorial placentas. Studies on black mastiff bats (Molossus ater) indicate that maternal endometrial endothelial cells probably play a very important morphogenetic role during placental development in this species. Similarities in placental structure suggest that this may also be the case in a number of other eutherian mammals.