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[rate-every-bat]

Could you do the desert long eared bat if possible? 🥺 My favorite little weirdos

I'd be happy to!

Today's Bat: Desert Long-Eared Bat

Environmental Impact: The Desert Long-Eared Bat favors the arid regions of northern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where they fly low to the ground and echolocate for insects. Their main food source is thought to be arachnids (more on this later). Because of the lack of vegetation in their dessert habitat, they often roost on rock faces or in human-made buildings. Their conservation status is currently unknown, but they're incredibly well-adapted to their habitats.

🦇🦇🦇/5

Beauty: The white fur on this species is quite striking, especially when paired with the pinkish coloration of their skin. I imagine them in their female-only roosts, discussing which brands of purple shampoo they like best. Additionally: holy moly, those ears are satellite dishes; truly a sign of bat beauty.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: Unpinning the arachnid point from earlier: Desert Long-Eared Bats have been observed shaking off the stings of scorpions as they hunt, which leads researchers to believe that the bats are immune to the scorpions' venom. This, plus their ability to fall easily into and out of torpor with desert temperature fluctuations, make them a truly formidable and resilient bat.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: I'm really a fan of these cuties! Even if they weren't cute as a button, I'd admire them for their crusade against the scariest kind of bug I can think of.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Animalia, EuroBats, GBIF)

[rate-every-bat]

do you rate bat-sonas?

I absolutely do rate batsonas! My own fursona is a bat, maybe I'll share them here someday C:

Beauty: I really love the slim-digi-style legs here, they help minimize the legs in silhouette and emphasize the wings. Their ears and nose leaf are pristine. I have mixed feelings about batsonas with both arms and wings (my own batsona has a wings-only and an arms-and-wings variant), but I really like the claw-like fingers on this bat!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

If you'd like to help me complete a full rate-every-bat style spread, I'd love to hear what your sona eats, where they live, and if they have any special powers!

[rate-every-bat]

Today's Bat: Silver-Haired Bat

We're back! Fulfilling the other half of this ask, let's review the classic, the ubiquitous, the beautiful... Silver-Haired Bat!

Environmental Impact: When you look at the Silver-Haired Bat, the Lion King's "Circle of Life" should play in your head. These frosted beauties are so enmeshed in the ecosystem of their wide North American range, a study referenced by ADW cites their worth at around $3.7 billion dollars of pest control. Not only are they excellent insect-eaters, they're an important prey source for predators like skunks, owls, and hawks. Unfortunately, this enmeshing has also lead to the species' several specialized illnesses; specifically, several kinds of mites, and a Silver-Haired Bat exclusive strain of rabies.

🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Beauty: Wow, I love a Silver-Haired Bat. The dark body reminiscent of the cartoonists' ideal bat... their silver-tipped coats... their little lamb ears... their noses that put me in mind of my pet hedgehog... After a few weeks away, looking at this guy is like taking a cool drink in the hot desert (coincidentally, one of the only places the Silver-Haired bat doesn't like to live).

🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: I love an opportunist, and the Silver-Haired Bat is especially good at getting while the getting's good. They can roost pretty much anywhere, including: in abandoned squirrel nests; in rotted tree hollows; in fissures and cracks in tree bark; in wood storage piles; under house siding panels; in naturally-formed caves; in abandoned mine shafts; and in cracks in cliff faces! They prefer heavily-forested areas, but they can and will snag winter roosts all along their migratory paths. This, and their wide range, make the Silver-Haired Bat one of the most adaptable species I know of.

🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: If your loved ones emerge from a coma and forget what a bat is, the Silver-Haired Bat is a good one to introduce them to. My fellow US-Americans can look forward to these guys' re-emergence in March!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Animal Diversity Web, Bat Conservation International)

[rate-every-bat]

Apologies for the small hiatus, I hassled with Covid. It has now come to my attention that a social media strike has been called in support of Palestine, so I will be extending this hiatus slightly longer.

I appreciate your patience. This week, please take the time to show Palestinians the support you've proven you can show to our batty friends.

[rate-every-bat]

WOW!! 100 Followers!

Thank you so much for all the bat love you've shared with me so far. I've been getting lots of bats requested in my inbox and I appreciate every single one! I'll keep working through them, so please don't be discouraged if I don't answer right away!!

[rate-every-bat]

Today's Bat: The Ahool

I love cryptids, so I was thrilled that this guy was recently requested! The Ahool is a cryptid described as a 10-to-12-foot bat-ape with a terrifying cry. Without further ado, let's swoop in:

Environmental Impact: Since this is a cryptid native to Indonesia and the Phillipines, there are a few ways we could swing this. The first would be speculative: I'd imagine a creature this size would require a lot of food, provide a lot of fertilizing guano, and reign absolute terror on any human it came across. We could base it off of first-hand accounts, though they're varied and contradictory. We could base it off of the Giant Golden-Crowned Flying Fox's score, as I think that's the most likely real-life corollary (or myth origin, if you're not feeling whimsical). However, I'm going to default low here, because there simply isn't any real information available.

🦇/5

Beauty: Looking at the several horrifying and ape-like depictions of the Ahool helped me see what people who are afraid of bats see. Because it's scary. I chose the above illustration because it didn't look like a sleep paralysis demon.

🦇🦇/5

Power: The telltale cry of the Ahool is the most concrete and iconic power I can name here. However... I know in my heart that this thing would eat me for breakfast if it could. Top marks.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: Yes to cryptids, yes to bats, no to getting eaten by a bate-ape twice my size.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

NOTE: I hesitate to list sources on this creature, as a lot of online articles about the Ahool simply spread misinformation about real-life bat species (ie claiming that Flying Foxes only echolocate, claiming that it must be more ape-like because Flying Foxes don't roost in trees, etc). I'm currently hunting for a printed source to get more information on ahool sightings, and I'll share that if/when I come across it. It's fun to play in the space when admiring cryptids and legends, but please remember to be respectful and inquisitive while you do so.

(PS: If you're a cryptid fan, or you resonate with the approach I took here, please check out the Oh No, Ross and Carrie podcast. They're where I take a lot of my passion for the supernatural from!)

[rate-every-bat]

am I allowed to request two bats? Cause if so :

The Ahool ( A Filipino cryptid)

And

The Silver Haired Bat( adorable little babby)

You can request as many bats as you'd like! I'll make separate posts for each one to keep them easily searchable.

[rate-every-bat]

I'm a lil confused, how does your rating system work?

I start by researching the bat (species or media property) to learn as much about them as I can. My first sources are always Animal Diversity Web and Bat Conservation International (for real species), but I try to supplement with other sources, books, and print articles where I can. I then separate what I've learned into the Environmental Impact, Beauty, and Power categories. The 1-5 🦇 rating is honestly mostly vibes-based, but I use the research I've done to inform how I feel about each one.

Environmental Impact is based around how they affect and are affected by their habitat. While I like to highlight how they help humanity (because bats often get a bad rap), no creature is more or less valuable or worthy of conservation just because of what they're doing for us.

Beauty is obviously very subjective, and I'm a biased party as a bat lover.

Power is for highlighting things about a bat that make it unique or special, things that you may not expect, or just for fun facts. Both quantity and uniqueness of powers make for higher scores.

The Overall is what I hope you'll take away, or a closing thought by me. Every bat deserves a 5/5 🦇 overall, because the purpose of this blog isn't to pit bats against each other, but rather to foster acceptance, awareness, and love for all bats.

Thank you for asking, and hopefully this cleared up my process a little bit for you!

[rate-every-bat]

I love this! Can you review the bumblebee bat? They’re so tiny and cute!

Of course! How could I resist the ittiest bittiest babies?

Today's Bat: Bumblebee Bat

Environmental Impact: The Bumblebee Bat (aka the Kitti's Hog-Nosed Bat) is small in everything it does. It has a small range, roosting mostly in the Bilauktaung Mountain's limestone caves and hunting in its bamboo forests. They hover to capture insects in flight, and remain in a solitary, torpor-like state the rest of the time to conserve energy. The world's smallest mammals also have one of the world's smallest environmental impacts: their low population size means they have little impact on insect populations. They are on the IUCN Redlist as near-threatened.

🦇🦇/5

Beauty: While the first thing that hits you about a Bumblebee Bat is their size, don't let this stop you from admiring their other amazing qualities. They have lovely, wideset nostrils. Their short, pointed ears and large wing-t0-body ratio create a unique silhouette. They come in both grey-coated and red-coated variants, for whether you'd prefer your bumblebees in Original or Spicy flavor.

🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: You can't expect an amazing power score from a creature that weighs two grams. The most interesting thing I found about these guys is that their two distinct populations, Myanmar and Thailand, have distinct calls, with the Thai population using higher-frequencies. I'll keep my eyes peeled to learn more about them!

🦇🦇/5

Overall: This is another species that's tied to Merlin Tuttle in my mind, as he recalls his adventures in trying to capture photographs of them (like the one above) in his book, The Secret Lives of Bats. He mentions how fear has driven human populations to kill roosting Bumblebee bats (and many other species) despite their largely harmless natures, which was a major factor in what lead me to creating this blog. Thank you for helping me continue to spread love and acceptance of these tiny friends!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Animal Diversity Web, Bat Conservation International)

[rate-every-bat]

Can you rate the Glossophaga soricina bat?

I'd never heard of this bat before, and a Google images search made my eyes pop out of my head like a cartoon dog. It's a little lazy to share the Wikipedia image of a creature, but I need you all to have the same exact experience I did when I saw it.

Today's Bat: Pallas's Long-Tongued Bat

Environmental Impact: With it's tongue of justice, the Pallas's Long-Tongued Bat patrols it's South American range. It prefers to eat nectar, since it's got the fastest metabolism of any mammal (!!) and needs the energy to be converted quickly. It does also eat pollen, flowers, fruit, and insects in order to build it's fat reserves... and then proceeds to burn 50% of that store daily. Pollinator, seed disperser, pesticide: this hero does it all at the speed of sound.

🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Beauty: The Eastern Red Bat will always and forever be my favorite, but this guy is circling the throne right now. The reddish coat is spectacular, and the little ears are almost dog-like. And then... of course... that crazy-ass tongue. I can't tear my eyes away. I made my partner come over from the other room to stare at it with me.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: Take one look at this guy and guess what his power is. That muscular licker is nature's multi-tool. By engorging it with blood, the Glossophaga soricina doubles the tongue's length and extends tiny, sticky hairs at its tip. By moving in a sweeping motion, the tongue efficiently mops up any and all food. This leathery hummingbird is racing to stay alive, and without the tongue, it would never be able to feed itself fast enough to survive.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: From the bottom of my heart, thank you for suggesting this bat. I'm going to the library now, to print out several pictures of Glossophaga soricina to hang around my home.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Animal Diversity Web, Wikipedia)

[rate-every-bat]

Howdy! Could you rate Waterhouse's leaf-nosed bat?

Yes, thank you for your patience!

Today's Bat: Waterhouse's Leaf-Nosed Bat

Environmental Impact: The Waterhouse's Leaf-Nosed Bat has quite a range across Latin America. They tend to hunt low-to-the-ground and exhibit "hovering" maneuvers over grasses, and also utilize broad echolocation for a shorter hunting range. They have few predators, though they're known to carry parasites and nematodes. They're picky about roosts, choosing caves with varying sun exposure so they can circulate throughout and regulate their body temperatures. The Waterhouse likes to stay out of humanity's way, but they certainly won't pass up an abandoned mine shaft if the opportunity strikes. All in all, a solid contender!

🦇🦇🦇/5

Beauty: These guys boast the classic bat aesthetic: cartilaginous ridges in the ear, proud nose, grey-brown fur, and a median body size. This is a bat I'd take home to meet my parents, for sure.

🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: In another pique of reproductive intrigue, the Waterhouse Leaf-Nosed Bat chose an oddity for each sex. For one, a male bat's sperm count will vary throughout the year, which is the indicating factor for mating seasons. On the other side of the coin, females utilize the T4 Hormone to create a "delated development" pattern in embryos: by lowering the T4 hormone in the third trimester, they're able to speed the development of the offspring. Finally, the Waterhouse, while normally a more solitary kind of bat, boasts impressive mothering skills. Their nursery roosts can number up to 100 individuals!

🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: The Waterhouse's Leaf-Nosed Bat is to bats what the name Chris is to the Marvel filmography: standard, foundational, a joy to have around.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Anderson, S. (1969). Macrotis waterhousii. The American Society of Mammalogists., Wikipedia)

[rate-every-bat]

Today's Bat: Minecraft Bat

Minecraft is a classic game, and I've always liked that it included bats as a kind of set dressing. I wish they did a bit more, but that won't stop me from reviewing them!

Environmental Impact: These guys could not have less of an impact. They exist to squeal and make you jump when they fly out of a dark cavern without warning. They don't provide any experience or loot when they die, so they aren't of much use to a player. They get to hang around and look cute, and that's it. There are some bat companion mods out there: Companion Bats and Pet Bats were the ones I found with a quick search. Both these mods have bats eating Pumpkin Pie, so I'll say that they are solidly not part of the game's food web.

🦇/5

Beauty: Here's a first for the blog: Minecraft bats received a redesign in 2019, with Version 1.14. The original bat has a more Minecraft aesthetic, with a blocky head and stiff wings. I don't think you were ever meant to look at them too closely. The newer bat is both cuter and more realistically bat-like, with well-defined wing shape, a square nose pad, and nice big ears to echolocate with. It's not calling out to any specific species that I can discern, but it's a vast improvement over Bat 1.0.

EDIT: @cornbread-but-cringey pointed out an error here: The bat redesign was actually completed in 2023. I confused this for a texture update from 2019. Thank you for the correction!

🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: Sorry, Minecraft bats, but I can't seem to find much to write home about here. There's apparently a special type of bat called a Witches' Bat that explodes upon impact with the player... which I've learned happens once "SkyBlock-yearly" during the "Spooky Festival". I was entirely unaware of both the "SkyBlock-year" and the "Spooky Festival" until writing this post, and I'm amazed that there are still things about Minecraft I've never heard.

🦇🦇/5

Overall: Dear Microsoft: Your bats should produce guano, eat bugs, disperse seeds, roost in chimneys, and/or any other bat-like behaviors. I like them fine as passive mining buddies, but my heart yearns for more.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Minecraft Wiki, Minecraft Wiki)

[rate-every-bat]

If you haven't done it already, you should rate the Hoary Bat 💞 They're my favourite and I would love to see your opinion on them

Absolutely, let's do it!

Today's Bat: Hoary Bat

The Hoary Bat has always put me in mind of a little powdered donut. There's an abandoned mining cave that's been turned into a museum and nature preserve in my area, and bat spotters frequently find these frosted babies hanging out there during the summer. I'd really love to spot one in person, but for now, I'll settle for this precious picture:

Environmental Impact: The Hoary Bat has an incredibly wide habitat range across North and Central America, even reaching as far as Hawaii. With such a wide range, it's no surprise that they've split into several subspecies (which is so, so cool). They migrate from north to south in the autumn, or hibernate for short bursts using a "butt blanket" and torpor state to withstand cooler temperatures. Interestingly, they predate several pest species, but have a relatively restricted diet compared to other North American insectivorous bats. These guys also catch rabies fairly frequently, which is another hit to their score here.

🦇🦇🦇/5

Beauty: Oh, these guys are angels. Their wide faces and perfectly round eyes make them look like Precious Moments dolls with wings. Their coats, multi-colored with a delicate white frost, are the peak of winter fashion. I can't think of a single thing that would make these guys more appealing... top marks!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: Hoary Bats are largely solitary throughout the year. Upon mating in the autumn, the female retains sperm in her reproductive tract. She'll reserve it all winter, and come spring, she will fertilize her eggs and give birth by early summer. Delayed fertilization allows them to choose whether or not conditions are right to rear young, and controls for their generally lonesome nature. I first learned about this ability with bears, and I continue to find it fascinating. I will have to deduct points from the Power score, however, for their decidedly anti-clean-power stance: their leading cause of mortality is striking wind turbines.

🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: This upcoming summer, hit your local mine. Maybe you'll find a Hoary Bat... or me, with a camera.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Animal Diversity Web, Bat Conservation International)

(PS: I couldn't find a convenient spot to mention this, but the Hawaiian Hoary bat is actually endangered. They're the only remaining native land mammal in Hawaii according to the National Parks Service. BCI lists some conservational efforts, which I'd recommend reading up on and advocating for if you're able. Thank you!)

[rate-every-bat]

Could you rate the honduran white bat? They’re my favorite and I even have a character based on them!

Hello! I'd love to, thank you for the suggestion!

Today's Bat: Honduran White Bat

The Honduran White Bat is the first line of defense against bat-haters. "Bats are ugly-" WRONG. "Bats carry disease-" NOT THIS GUY. The second someone says they don't like bats, for any given reason, I want you to pull this picture up on your phone and tell them they're WRONG:

Environmental Impact: Not much is known about how Honduran White Bats affect their environments. They live across Panama, Honduras, and parts of Central America. They're frugivores, but don't disperse seeds. They aren't known to carry any pests or diseases. They are, of course, famed for their roost-making behavior: by chewing along the ribs of heliconia leaves, they create tents in which to rest, camouflaged from predators. Fun fact: their roosts are mixed-sex until mating season, at which point the bats will split into "bachelor" and "maternal" roosts for patrol and child-rearing, respectively. Unfortunately, the species is currently classified as "near-threatened" on the IUCN Red List because of habitat destruction.

🦇🦇/5

Beauty: I mean, look at them. Each is around two inches tall and weighs 5 grams. Their unique orange-yellow accents stand out against their white coats, making them look like cotton ball art dolls. Even if you aren't an enjoyer of leaf noses and echolocator's ears (which I very much am), you've gotta admit these guys are something special.

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Power: Remember the unique orange-yellow coloration of their ears, nose, and wings? This pigment comes from lutein, a carotenoid often found in fruits in vegetables. Most mammals disperse these pigments evenly around the body, but Honduran White Bats take advantage of lutein's oxygen-carrying properties and accumulate the pigment at the spots of their body most likely to be injured to allow for speedier healing. This unique property makes them an object of scientific curiosity, as understanding how they utilize lutein may lead to developments in treatment and prevention of macular degeneration in humans!

🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: If you like bats, cotton balls, DIY, scientific research opportunities, or figs, this little guy has something for you. Thank you for sharing your favorite bat with me! C:

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Animal Diversity Web, Chemical and Engineering News)

[rate-every-bat]

Happy Holidays from Rate Every Bat!

Enjoy some time with family, take a rest, eat good food, and spare a thought for the humble bat today!

[rate-every-bat]

EMERGENCY MENTION: Crobat from Pokemon Stadium 2

I'll fully cover Crobat another day, but I need you all to be aware of this thing:

Environmental Impact: Unknown , I'd imagine it scares its prey to death.

?/5

Beauty: A nightmare creature! The teeth are all wrong, and it's eyes are threatening to escape!!

🦇/5

Power: Scary ass face, I'll see it in my nightmares soon.

?/5

Overall: NO!!!!!!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

[rate-every-bat]

Today's Bat: Giant Bat from Dungeon Meshi

My favorite manga is getting an anime adaptation, so let's flip open the Adventurer's Bible to get better acquainted with this monster.

Environmental Impact: As listed above, this carnivorous bat drinks the blood of it's prey. Falin explains the bats' dungeon niche, which is unique thanks to this world's reliance on mana: the bats' guano is broken down by slimes and converted to mana, which is then absorbed by all living creatures inside the dungeon. I love this series' world-building, and the bat as a source of magical fertilizer is just so special!

🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Beauty: Despite their resemblance to Flying Foxes in their size, face shapes, and eyes, the chompers on these guys prove the Giant Bat a truly bloodthirsty beast. They're striking, and a little scary! I don't love encouraging fear of endangered pollinators by likening them to vampire bats (which still don't eat people), but they're effective as a dungeon monster!

🦇🦇/5

Power: The Giant Bat is noted for it's intelligence. The Adventurer's Bible details how they kill prey by dropping them from height. The body size of a Flying Fox applied to a predator is a 5/5 threat, and I wouldn't want to meet this guy in the dungeon!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

Overall: Thank you to Ryoko Kui for including such a special bat in her series! I can't wait to watch the bat in action... that is, until it gets eaten!

🦇🦇🦇🦇🦇/5

(Today's sources: Dungeon Meshi, The Adventurer's Bible)

((PS: DO NOT eat flying foxes in real life!! They're frequently poached for bush meat, and they're well known vectors for Lyme disease.))