Bumblebee Bat
A Few Facts About The Bumblebee Bat Of Thailand
Can anyone say adorable? The bumblebee bat is currently entrenched in a tight battle with the pygmy shrew for the smallest mammal on earth. Bats are not related to rodents in any way, and are actually classified under the same family as primates and lemurs. Now that we have absolved the old “filthy rat with wings” adage, we can get to our discussion about the bumblebee bat. At last count, the special counsel on preservation in Thailand could find only 163 living specimens in the wilds despite many diligent and thorough surveys, and this information was reported in 1982. This frighteningly tiny number matches the size of the animal in question, and places the bumblebee bat amongst the twelve most endangered species in the world.
His vulnerability is not due to his size, though it is hard to imagine this dainty little mammal not being knocked silly by a single drop of rain. He is actually quite hardy and enjoys a fairly long life span, when his environment is indicative of his specific feeding habits. The bumblebee bat is an insect eater, much like the majority of his larger peers, and he feeds at night. The issue is that he hunts the highest points of bamboo and teak trees, which have been nearly depleted due to uncontrolled harvesting and deforestation. The species wasn’t even discovered until 1974, and already his light is quickly fading before the furniture business.
The bumblebee bat is alive and well on the web pages of little girls the world over, as who could resist this puny, sweet faced little insect eater? He fits at the tip of the human thumb, his wings and eyes the most prominent signs that he is, after all, a bat. In the wild, the bumblebee bat does congregate in droves, which is to say that they accumulate within the same caves as one another. Unlike most other bat species, however, the bumblebee bat prefers to hang alone. You will not find them clustered together for warmth, socialization, or protection. They enjoy their own personal space within the colony, and their scant size allows them plenty of elbow room even within the smallest cave.
Bumblebee bats also have the ability to hover in one place in mid air, much like the hummingbird does. He weights about as much as a dime, and he causes the human heart to expand with a single glance. Not much is known about the captive status of this bat, but we can only hope that is there is a miracle on the horizon which will keep him around for generations to come. The bumblebee bat is a truly humble and harmless animal, deserving of our recognition and help.