Meet the Demonic Tube-Nosed Bat

Holy Holotype: Bats, Man!

Maybe more than any other mammal bats get a bad rap, and names that include “demonic” certainly don’t help their image. The image of bats fostered in popular culture falls apart when they’re seen in the light of day. Take a slower gander at these photos of the Queensland tube-nosed bat, a close relative to the species featured in the video. In these images, the bat is undeniably ‘tube-nosed’, but it’s hard to see these animals snuggled into their wings or chowing down on some fruit and still suggest they’re demonic.

A Queensland tube-nosed bat; photographs of our demonic tube-nosed bat in the wild are hard to come by

David White

In the summer of 1979, the NHMLAC sponsored Taylor South Seas Expedition set sail, visiting New Ireland and New Britain of Papua New Guinea to better understand the poorly understood bats of these isles. The fauna and the region remain poorly known by the scientific community, a humbling reminder that we still have a lot to learn about these fuzzy fliers. Their uncanny names can help call attention to these spectacular creatures and hopefully inspire greater curiosity and investigation.  

A pair of Queensland tube-nosed bats hanging around

David White