Sucker Footed Bat
It seems I owe Batman an apology. I often thought that the famous masked superhero took a few creative liberties in his super-gadgets, managing feats that no bat would ever be able to undertake. Climbing up a glass building, thanks to sucker pads, however is apparently something that bats can do!
It appears that things are looking up for the Sucker Footed Bat (Myzopoda aurita) of Madagascar as the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) has upgraded it from Vulnerable, where it was listed in 1990, to Least Concern after reassessing the animal in 2008 and concluding that population numbers are high, and that there are no longer any obvious major threats to its existence.
Batman eat your heart outThis species is commonly found in the humid rainforest zone of eastern and north-eastern Madagascar and usually lives at elevations lower than 500 metres, although a few of them have been spotted at higher elevations. They can also be found in agricultural land and urban areas.Although the Sucker Footed Bats live in a wide area and they seem to be able to survive in disturbed habitats, it is still hard to get comprehensive population data on them. However, it is estimated there are between 100,000 and 133,000 of the little critters whooping it up in eastern Madagascar. More studies are needed to see exactly how many bats are still around.
The species is quite small and averages just a few inches in length with a two-inch tail. They are very light, weighing less than half an ounce. Its name comes from distinctive round sucker organs attached to its thumb and hind foot. These act as suction cups and allow the animals to get a great grip on smooth surfaces. Its foraging habitats are not too well known, but it has been studied both inside and outside relatively intact littoral forest and seems to be able to survive in highly modified habitats.
In fact some experts believe the bats have actually benefited from deforestation and can live anywhere as long as they have food, water and shelter. They seem to have adapted well to the fact the rainforest is shrinking and this is another reason that they are no longer listed as vulnerable.
At the moment there are no known major threats to the Sucker Footed Bats, but believe it or not, people have actually been known to eat them!
The bats themselves are nocturnal and like to dine out on moths and other flying insects, but many scientists believe they aren’t fussy and will basically eat whatever is available. They like to feed in freshly-dug paddy fields and in newly cleared rain forest areas as there is usually an abundance of insects in those areas. This species uses echolocation to capture prey. This is a process of locating objects by emitting sounds which are reflected back to the animal by objects in the sound's path.
The reproduction and life cycle of the bat is a bit of a mystery, but they give birth to several youngsters at a time and appear to stay with them until they are independent.
While a lot of people are afraid of the creepy looking bats, they actually help farmers by destroying pests to their crops.
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