Know what flies loopier than me after a really long day and little sleep? 

Bats. They’re the only mammals that fly… but they’re also crazy diverse in themselves. There are 70 species in Palo Verde alone, and 113 in Costa Rica! They eat insects, nectar, fruits, fish, frogs, small mammals and even other bats, and come in all shapes and sizes from palm-sized to almost a meter across with winds extended. Their wrinkly little faces and their big ears (all the bats in the Americas are Microchiroptera, and mostly evolved for echolocation) make them look like scary, creepy old men with a penchant for self-obsessive high school girls named Bella… *ahem* now I’m just off-topic… but honestly they’re fascinating and super important to keeping the balance in this crazy complex ecosystem. Sergio, the naturalist at this field station, studies bats and brought some in to show us tonight. 

Check out the wing structure and those tiny, flexible bones- like dude, do you even lift?