(via Big, New Pointy-Nosed Bat Found : Discovery News)
Micronycteris garifuna; Credit for all images: Peter Larsen and Lizette Siles, Texas Tech University)
A new species of bat with a distinctive nose and impressive teeth has been documented. The bat, named Micronycteris garifuna, hails from St. Vincent island in the Caribbean and is described in the journalMammalian Biology.
The bat’s name honors the Garifuna people who live on the island. Their culture is a mix of Carib, Arawak and West African ancestry.
When Peter Larsen, a post-doctoral research associate in the Department of Biological Sciences at Texas Tech University, and colleague Lizette Siles first became aware of the bat, they thought it was already on the science record books. The bat was caught during an expedition to the island in 2005-2006.
