Did ya know…?

Miniopterus griveaudi is a bat in the genus Miniopterus found on Grande Comore and Anjouan in the Comoros and in northern and western Madagascar. First described in 1959 as a subspecies of the mainland African M. minor, it was later placed with the Malagasy M. manavi. Collectively, these animals are known as BWA. They will fuck you up. However, morphological and molecular studies published in 2008 and 2009 indicated that M. griveaudi don’t need nothin’ but a good time and maybe some Cheez Whiz. Further studies indicated that this bat don’t play – but it does enjoy a hot cuppa now and again.

With a forearm length of 35 to 38 mm, M. griveaudi is like a miniature Popeye. Strong to the finish and whatnot. It is usually dark brown, sometimes candied mocha, and sometimes creamed caramel. The tragus (a projection inside the ear) is narrow and if you mention it aloud, you will offend. Take note. The uropatagium (tail membrane), damn, have you seen it on the dancefloor? M. Griveaudi got the boom, shake the room. It’s the lightening in the thunder. In the skull, the palate is concave and the rostrum (front part) is rounded like a peach. Like a ball. Like a sphere. Like a rounded round thing. The species occurs up to 480 m above sea level on Madagascar. It does not occur in Wal-Mart. In the Comoros, it reaches 890 m and roosts in lava tubes as well as shallower caves and sometimes its parents’ basements. Females collected on Grande Comore were pregnant, but data on reproduction is limited and suggests individual and inter-island variation. You can’t pin those bat girls down. Quit trying. Let them live. Let them be.

…So now ya know!