Today I learned that the university of Coimbra in Portugal has
a great 18th-century library, the Biblioteca Joanina, that maintains a colony of bats to effectively control the population of paper-eating insects called
papirófagos.
These bats are less than an inch long. They roost during the day behind the bookcases and come out at night. There doesn’t seem to be any English word for
papirófago, a cursory search turns up no details about what sort of insect they are, and ngl I am slightly concerned about them as a phenomenon. But I think my overarching point here is clear:
This library keeps tiny bats that look after the books.
I’m here for tiny bats saving books.
Aaaahhh!!
What good and noble tiny flitters!!!! ❤
My nayme is Batt And wen its nite On sylente wings I flye to fite
New species of bat found, Niumbaha superba, and it’s adorable.
Oh wow! I’m glad people are as excited about animals as I am. Here’s some additional photos. Fun fact: this bat is so different from others that a new genus was created!
A notebook inclined for the nocturnally inclined (vampiric or otherwise), our Bat Icon notebook is wonderful company on those soft, chilly nights where you are alone with your thoughts.
Hm, will you remember that great story idea or shopping list in the morning? (Pro-tip: you won’t, write it down.)
alder-knight 