# @nationalparkservice on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DBkNj3KvNrm
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/24382882-nationalparkservice-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/43453e222f.jpg
- **Posted:** 2024-10-25T23:37:14.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Park Service (@nationalparkservice) — https://gondola.cc/nationalparkservice

## Caption

Did you know bats fly through the power of jazz hands?

Well, something like that. A bat’s wing resembles a modified human hand — imagine the skin between your fingers larger, thinner and stretched. This flexible skin membrane that extends between each long finger bone and many movable joints make bats agile fliers. And then…jazz hands!!!

Found in Southern California, Southern Nevada and parts of Arizona, the California leaf-nosed bat (pictured here) gets its name from the leaf-like projection on the tip of its snout — it’s an adaptation on bats that sends out echolocation sounds through their noses. In addition to its nose, this bat is easy to recognize because of its large ears and grayish to dark brown fur. While other bats hibernate or migrate, the California leaf-nosed is active all year. It roosts in warmer caves and mines during the day and spends the night hunting. Its hearing is so acute that it can detect noises as faint as the footstep of a cricket! This bat species lives 20+ years in the wild, making it one of the longest-living mammals.

Learn more about bats at nps.gov

Image: A flying California leaf-nosed bat leaving a cave at Lake Mead National Recreation Area - National Park Service, AZ, NV.

#BatWeek #bats #science #nationalparks

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 51,840
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 132

## Credits

| Name | Username | Profile | Role |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| National Park Service | @nationalparkservice | https://gondola.cc/nationalparkservice | Government Organization |

## Tags

bats, science, batweek, nationalparks

---
Copyright (c) Gondola