Wired Science has reported that three new bat species, including one that allegedly resembles the Lord of the Underworld, have been discovered in the tropical forests of southern Indochina.
The tiny ‘demon,’ named Beelzebub’s tube-nosed bat, has been seen only in Vietnam. Gabor Csorba of the Hungarian Natural History Museum explained how the new species of bat came upon its notorious namesake:
“We chose the name Beelzebub to reflect the dark ‘diabolic’ coloration of the new species and its fierce protective behavior in the field.”
Bats represent nearly a third of the known mammal species in South East Asia already, but — according to bat specialist and Vice Chairman of Fauna and Flora International, Paul Racey — recent genetic research indicates that the true number of bat species in the region may be twice current count. Some of these as yet UNCLASSIFIED species of AVIAN ANOMALIES may include Indonesia’s ORANG-BATI and Cameroon’s OLITIAU.
Murina beelzebub, like the other two tube-nosed bats discovered, depends on the tropical forest for its survival. The bats are especially vulnerable due to ongoing deforestation in the region, researchers warn. The new bats, found by biologists and conservationists from the Hungarian Natural History Museum and Fauna & Flora International, are described in the current issue of the Journal of Mammalogy.