It's almost Halloween. That means it's time for a bat beauty contest
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The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the bat's ecological importance.
Move over, Fat Bear Week. A bat beauty contest is now stepping up to the plate.
The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has hosted the online competition since 2019 to raise awareness about the animal’s ecological importance. The federal agency posts photos of bats on its Facebook and Instagram accounts, and then asks people to vote for the cutest one. The bats are part of wild populations living on public lands, and are photographed by agency staff.
The first round of voting began Thursday and pitted a Townsend's big-eared bat named “Sir Flaps-A-Lot” from Utah against a hoary bat fittingly named “Hoary Potter” from Oregon. The contest coincides with the start of Bat Week, during which bat experts across the country and the world hold educational events celebrating the only flying mammal.
The defining feature of a Townsend's big-eared bat is, unsurprisingly, its ears, which can reach a length of 1.5 inches (38 millimetres). The large ears funnel sound into the ear canal, provide lift during flight and help with temperature regulation, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management said in its Facebook post presenting the first two contestants.
Hoary bats, meanwhile, are known for swift flight and wrapping themselves in their own tails to mimic leaves and hide from predators, the agency said. Due to this attribute, it estimated Hoary Potter would be “the perfect candidate for seeker on this year's Quidditch team," referring to the game in Harry Potter that is played on flying brooms.
Neither species are federally listed as endangered. However, Oregon has included them on its list of species needing conservation attention, and Utah has done the same for the Townsend's big-eared bat.
Emma Busk, the BLM wildlife technician who photographed Hoary Potter, said bats around the world play a key role in the environment by eating insects and pollinating flowers and fruits. But they're increasingly facing the threats of habitat loss, disease and light pollution, and are often misunderstood as scary disease carriers, she said.
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