Laura Torrent did not know that the tiny brown bat she caught in early 2024 would become a global milestone for biodiversity and conservation.She had suspected the small creature, caught during an expedition in Equatorial Guinea, could match a mysterious bat specimen collected more than 30 years ago, but it would take months of work and scientific review to confirm.That bat — which Torrent dubbed Pipistrellus etula — marks the 1,500th species of bat to be discovered.Bats are the second-most diverse group of mammals. Of the more than 6,800 mammal species known to scientists today, bats make up 22%. They are surpassed only by rodents, which have about 2,790 distinct species. Bats are the only mammals that can fly (sorry, flying squirrels). Flight and their relatively small size have allowed bats to spread across six continents and nearly every country.In the U.S., there are 47 known bat species. Many of those bats are threatened by white-nose syndrome, a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in North America. There is no cure for white-nose syndrome, but scientists are developing strategies to improve survival rates and minimize the spread.Most of the world’s bat diversity is concentrated in tropical areas along the equator, but those regions are also understudied, experts say. Now, most of the new bat species are found in Africa and Southeast Asia as scientists build data for areas that lack historical sampling.Torrent’s research in Equatorial Guinea, which began in 2018, marks the first time scientists have surveyed the country since the 1990s, she said.Advancements in science and better genetic analysis tools have allowed scientists to speed up the process of identifying new species.Genetic analysis was key to Torrent’s discovery of P. etula. When Torrent began her work in Equatorial Guinea, she started by combing through museum collections on bats in the area. There was one bat specimen her supervisor had collected in the 1980s and 1990s that she could not identify, but there was not enough evidence yet to declare it a new species. After obtaining funding, Torrent was able to return to where the original bats were caught. With her team, she set up several nets that bats cannot detect in hopes of catching and photographing them. Bats get tangled in the nets but are not harmed.Despite their efforts, no bats were caught. The surrounding forest had been clear-cut in the years since Torrent’s supervisor had visited. In 2024, Torrent secured more funding for her team. She went to the highest mountain on Bioko Island off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and once again set the nets.This time, her team was successful. They caught two types of bats: a big fruit bat and a small brown bat. The latter, Torrent suspected, could unlock answers to those puzzling specimens. Different species of bats can look quite similar, but there is one bone in particular that helps scientists tell them apart: the penis bone. As Torrent suspected, her new brown bat was a match with the old specimens.Genetic analysis sealed the deal, and P. etula was accepted in the scientific community as the 1,500th species in August this year.A colleague at an international conference was the one to fill Torrent in on her milestone discovery.“I was already really excited to describe a new species for science, and this was like a bonus,” Torrent said.Taxonomy is the field of science that works to classify different animals. Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, said that identifying and keeping records of bat species is important to conservation and biodiversity. “Knowing how many species there are and where those biodiversity hotspots are informs us to make good choices about how we make investments to protect nature, especially the parts that can help benefit us,” Frick said.Many bat species exist only in small, isolated areas. One mountain can be home to 50 unique species, and if that mountain is developed, those bats go extinct.“We’ve probably already lost species where their habitat was destroyed before we even knew they existed,” said Nancy Simmons, curator-in-charge of the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History.For years, Simmons was the primary person tracking bat species in the world. Before she published the database online, she would update scientists on the official bat count via a T-shirt reveal at an annual conference.Now, Simmons chairs the Global Bat Taxonomy Working Group, which is a team of scientists who maintain the official list of bat species.Bats have value beyond biodiversity. They save American farmers billions of dollars each year in pest control and are important pollinators and seed dispersers in tropical areas. Because bats harbor viruses that can be threatening to humans and livestock, Simmons said it’s important to preserve natural habitats to prevent future spillover events. “The health of the planet, the health of wildlife, the health of people are all interconnected, and the more we understand and protect biodiversity, the more protected we are,” Simmons said.Back in Equatorial Guinea, Torrent hopes that by putting a name to P. etula, she can encourage local law enforcement to protect their habitat from potential threats.Torrent named the bat “etula,” which means “god of the island” in the local language.“I was looking for a term that would give honor to the inhabitants of the island, who are the people who can actually look for the protection and ensure that this animal lives for many generations,” Torrent said.Torrent plans to keep studying P. etula. Many questions remain about what the bat eats and whether it lives anywhere else.While the discovery of the 1,500th bat species is a significant benchmark, scientists are still discovering more. Already, the count is up to 1,508, Simmons said, and she estimates there could be hundreds more. She does not think the count will surpass 2,000.Those bats, Frick said, are important not only to the natural world but to human culture and art."Bats are really important for Halloween, and we don't get that inspiration without nature," Frick said. “You don’t get to have Batman without bats.”PHNjcmlwdCB0eXBlPSJ0ZXh0L2phdmFzY3JpcHQiPiFmdW5jdGlvbigpeyJ1c2Ugc3RyaWN0Ijt3aW5kb3cuYWRkRXZlbnRMaXN0ZW5lcigibWVzc2FnZSIsKGZ1bmN0aW9uKGUpe2lmKHZvaWQgMCE9PWUuZGF0YVsiZGF0YXdyYXBwZXItaGVpZ2h0Il0pe3ZhciB0PWRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3JBbGwoImlmcmFtZSIpO2Zvcih2YXIgYSBpbiBlLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdKWZvcih2YXIgcj0wO3I8dC5sZW5ndGg7cisrKXtpZih0W3JdLmNvbnRlbnRXaW5kb3c9PT1lLnNvdXJjZSl0W3JdLnN0eWxlLmhlaWdodD1lLmRhdGFbImRhdGF3cmFwcGVyLWhlaWdodCJdW2FdKyJweCJ9fX0pKX0oKTs8L3NjcmlwdD4=
EQUATORIAL GUINEA, — Laura Torrent did not know that the tiny brown bat she caught in early 2024 would become a global milestone for biodiversity and conservation.
She had suspected the small creature, caught during an expedition in Equatorial Guinea, could match a mysterious bat specimen collected more than 30 years ago, but it would take months of work and scientific review to confirm.
That bat — which Torrent dubbed Pipistrellus etula — marks the 1,500th species of bat to be discovered.
Bats are the second-most diverse group of mammals. Of the more than 6,800 mammal species known to scientists today, bats make up 22%. They are surpassed only by rodents, which have about 2,790 distinct species.
Bats are the only mammals that can fly (sorry, flying squirrels). Flight and their relatively small size have allowed bats to spread across six continents and nearly every country.
In the U.S., there are 47 known bat species. Many of those bats are threatened by , a fungal disease that has killed millions of bats in North America.
There is no cure for white-nose syndrome, but scientists are developing strategies to improve survival rates and minimize the spread.
Most of the world’s bat diversity is concentrated in tropical areas along the equator, but those regions are also understudied, experts say. Now, most of the new bat species are found in Africa and Southeast Asia as scientists build data for areas that lack historical sampling.
Torrent’s research in Equatorial Guinea, which began in 2018, marks the first time scientists have surveyed the country since the 1990s, she said.
Advancements in science and better genetic analysis tools have allowed scientists to speed up the process of identifying new species.
Genetic analysis was key to Torrent’s discovery of P. etula.
When Torrent began her work in Equatorial Guinea, she started by combing through museum collections on bats in the area. There was one bat specimen her supervisor had collected in the 1980s and 1990s that she could not identify, but there was not enough evidence yet to declare it a new species.
After obtaining funding, Torrent was able to return to where the original bats were caught. With her team, she set up several nets that bats cannot detect in hopes of catching and photographing them. Bats get tangled in the nets but are not harmed.
Despite their efforts, no bats were caught. The surrounding forest had been clear-cut in the years since Torrent’s supervisor had visited.
In 2024, Torrent secured more funding for her team. She went to the highest mountain on Bioko Island off the coast of Equatorial Guinea and once again set the nets.
This time, her team was successful. They caught two types of bats: a big fruit bat and a small brown bat. The latter, Torrent suspected, could unlock answers to those puzzling specimens.
Different species of bats can look quite similar, but there is one bone in particular that helps scientists tell them apart: the penis bone. As Torrent suspected, her new brown bat was a match with the old specimens.
Genetic analysis sealed the deal, and P. etula was accepted in the scientific community as the 1,500th species in August this year.
Laura Torrent
Laura Torrent, Ph.D. student at the University of Porto in Portugal, studies a bat specimen in her lab.
A colleague at an international conference was the one to fill Torrent in on her milestone discovery.
“I was already really excited to describe a new species for science, and this was like a bonus,” Torrent said.
Taxonomy is the field of science that works to classify different animals.
Winifred Frick, chief scientist at Bat Conservation International, said that identifying and keeping records of bat species is important to conservation and biodiversity.
“Knowing how many species there are and where those biodiversity hotspots are informs us to make good choices about how we make investments to protect nature, especially the parts that can help benefit us,” Frick said.
Many bat species exist only in small, isolated areas. One mountain can be home to 50 unique species, and if that mountain is developed, those bats go extinct.
“We’ve probably already lost species where their habitat was destroyed before we even knew they existed,” said Nancy Simmons, curator-in-charge of the Department of Mammalogy at the American Museum of Natural History.
For years, Simmons was the primary person tracking bat species in the world. Before she published the database online, she would update scientists on the official bat count via a T-shirt reveal at an annual conference.
Now, Simmons chairs the Global Bat Taxonomy Working Group, which is a team of scientists who maintain the official list of bat species.
Image provided by Nancy Simmons
Nancy Simmons (left) reveals the number of bat species recognized on a custom T-shirt at the July 2019 International Bat Research Conference in Thailand next to Winifred Frick (right).
Bats have value beyond biodiversity. They save American farmers billions of dollars each year in pest control and are important pollinators and seed dispersers in tropical areas.
Because bats harbor viruses that can be threatening to humans and livestock, Simmons said it’s important to preserve natural habitats to prevent future spillover events.
“The health of the planet, the health of wildlife, the health of people are all interconnected, and the more we understand and protect biodiversity, the more protected we are,” Simmons said.
Back in Equatorial Guinea, Torrent hopes that by putting a name to P. etula, she can encourage local law enforcement to protect their habitat from potential threats.
Torrent named the bat “etula,” which means “god of the island” in the local language.
“I was looking for a term that would give honor to the inhabitants of the island, who are the people who can actually look for the protection and ensure that this animal lives for many generations,” Torrent said.
Torrent plans to keep studying P. etula. Many questions remain about what the bat eats and whether it lives anywhere else.
While the discovery of the 1,500th bat species is a significant benchmark, scientists are still discovering more. Already, the count is up to 1,508, Simmons said, and she estimates there could be hundreds more. She does not think the count will surpass 2,000.
Those bats, Frick said, are important not only to the natural world but to human culture and art.
"Bats are really important for Halloween, and we don't get that inspiration without nature," Frick said. “You don’t get to have Batman without bats.”
