At least four new species of African leaf-nosed bats discovered
Thursday, April 23, 2020 - 09:40
in Biology & Nature
Researchers just discovered at least four new species of African leaf-nosed bats -- cousins of the horseshoe bats that served as hosts of the virus behind COVID-19. Bats play a big role in our lives -- they pollinate crops, eat disease-carrying bugs, and carry diseases themselves -- but we know very little about them. The more we know about bats, the better able we're to protect them and defend ourselves against diseases that they can spread.