Features Podcasts Family Video Comics Music Tech Science Books Film & TV Games ✚

Jill

Leaf-nosed bat with very odd face

David Pescovitz at 10:45 am Thu, Mar 1, 2012

— FEATURED —

Feature

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

Book Review

The Twelve-Fingered Boy - mesmerizing YA horror novel

Book Review

Black Code: how spies, cops and crims are making cyberspace unfit for human habitation

— FOLLOW US —

Boing Boing is on Twitter and Facebook. Subscribe to our RSS feed or daily email.

 

— POLICIES —

Except where indicated, Boing Boing is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution

 

— FONTS —

Tweet
Kindle
 Wpf Media-Live Photos 000 492 Cache New-Leaf-Nosed-Bat-Discovered-Vietnam 49228 600X450 This handsome critter is a newly-discovered species of leaf-nosed bat found in Vietnam's Chu Mom Ray National Park. Scientists suggest that the animal's strange face may enhance the animal's echolocation abilities.
"Strange New Leaf-Nosed Bat Found in Vietnam" (National Geographic)

David Pescovitz is Boing Boing's co-editor/managing partner. He's also a research director at Institute for the Future. On Instagram, he's @pesco.

More at Boing Boing

Eurovision 2013: An American in London

The technology that links taxonomy and Star Trek

  • CountZero

    Hmmm, “a face only a mother could love…”
    It’s a good thing bats are nocturnal, imagine a female of a regular looking species looking to get all jiggy wid’it with our hero and the light comes on…

  • beemoh

    “Scientists suggest that the animal’s strange face may enhance the animal’s echolocation abilities.”

    By the looks of it, it may have been caused by poor echolocation abilities.

  • Wordguy

    You beat me to it Beemoh!

  • Brainspore

    I don’t think most leaves would appreciate the comparison.

    • suburbanhick

      Really! Why not leaf-EARED bat? Its ears certainly look more like leaves than its nose.

  • http://www.TechedOn.com/ Achilles Stravoravdis

    I am a leaf and I find the naming of this bat repulsive. 

  • suburbanhick

    Bat, nothing! That is SO a Naussican (sp?). It’s just hiding its fangs…

  • http://twitter.com/cjporkchop cjporkchop

    Too bad bats aren’t into bod mod. Lots of opportunities for piercing.

  • Layne

    That thing looks like the PUKE-Nosed Bat, if you ask me. 

    Are they sure the appearance of the nose doesn’t cause overpowering gorge to rise in potential predators?

  • swlabr

    If you like this stuff, just go to google images: “ernst haeckel bats”, and you won’t be disappointed.

  • woid

    Makes Woola look like Cary Grant.

    Actually, Woola looks like Newt Gingrich, but I digress.

  • haineux

    EWWW.

    Actually, that picture frightens me. Some kind of horror response to a “thing that’s almost a face but not actually matching very well.”

    I wish it weren’t on the front page, please.

    Also http://uglyoverload.blogspot.com/

  • Felton / Moderator

    “What the hell are you?!”

  • amnesiawanted

    Looks like the sad result of runaway selection for “shiny bling noses”.

  • Rich Keller

    That’s Chase No Face’s chiropteran cousin. I was going to say chiropteran kissing cousin, but…. EEEW.

  • robuluz

    Predator bat!

    http://cotocrew.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/predator.jpg

  • http://meander61.blogspot.com/ Meander, pontifex emeritus

    Don’t move – I’ll get the flamethrower….

  • http://gtr-skyline.com/ Martin

    That’s messed up.

  • BoydWaters

    Bajoran bat…

  • frozenintime

    Poor bat has caca poopoo on his nose.

  • francoisroux

    Ugh, yuk…