this post was submitted on 26 Feb 2024
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Bats

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Bats are cool

Bats are the only true flying mammals. There are over 1,400 species of bats, and they can be found on nearly every part of the planet. Not only are they cute, they are also important...

Studying how bats use echolocation has helped scientists develop navigational aids for the blind. Without bats’ pollination, seed dispersal, and pest control we wouldn’t have bananas, avocados, mangoes, agave, or cacao… that’s right, bats bring us tequila and chocolate!

Found a bat in need of help?

Celebrate bats with us!

Our community's mascot is Baxter. Baxter is an Egyptian fruit bat that was cruelly kept alone and confined to a small cage for 12 years before being rescued by a bat sanctuary. You can read the full story by clicking on his name.

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Everyone should feel welcome here. Hateful or bigoted language will not be tolerated.

Don’t post anything a fruit bat would not approve of.

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[–] Anticorp 4 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago) (2 children)

Does anyone know why their noses evolved to look like this? Is it to channel dripping rainwater around their nostrils?

[–] SoleInvictus 8 points 11 months ago (1 children)

This bat's nose shows it's a member of the family Phyllostomidae, commonly known as leaf-nosed bats. They're found all throughout South America, up through the Southwest of North America.

These guys echolocate through their noses instead of their mouths. It's not known exactly how, but it's suspected their nose shape is an adaptation to aid this process.

[–] Anticorp 2 points 11 months ago

That's wild. I guessed at the purpose since they hang upside down and it looks like it would protect their breathing tubes from drowning in their sleep, but I wasn't even close!

[–] feedum_sneedson 1 points 11 months ago

Because it's an ear. Kind of.