Patrice K. Connors Profile picture
Mar 15, 2018 15 tweets 9 min read Read on X
NEXT UP: #4 Tasmanian Devil vs. #13 Ghost Bast #2018MMM
The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) gets its name from the Greek "macros"=large and "derma"=skin #2018MMM
Hopefully you didn't confuse our competitor with the south american bats of a similar name (genus Diclidurus, way more fuzzy) #2018MMM
Marco here is featured in Great Adaptations b/c of it's huge ears, which comprise almost half the length of it's face! #canyouhearmenow #2018MMM
Most bats echolocate, but some like the ghost bat utilize other senses like hearing to hunt prey ranging from insects and geckos to other small bats and mice. #yikes #2018MMM
In fact, the Ghost bat is one of the largest bats in the suborder Microchirpotera, weighing 130-170g (that's 3/4's of a stoat!). #stoatsasmeaurement #2018MMM
However, Ghost bat's competitor tonight tilts the scale between 6-8kg (that's 27-36 stoats...). #stoatsasmeasurement #2018MMM
You've already been introduced to the Tasmanian Devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) by @bittlemethis from #ButtofWhat fame. #2018MMM
But for the new fans, devil's are well known for being, well, little devils. As scavengers, they fight over carcasses & make scary, devil-like noises. #2018MMM Watch you volume on this video...
Notably, Tasmanian devils have the MOST powerful bite force (relative to body size) of ANY LIVING mammalian carnivore! #biteclub #actuallivingscientist thefearlab.com #2018MMM paper here ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
Both competitors are native to Australia (this marsupial & bat diverged somewhere around 150 MYA timetree.org), so tonight's battle takes place on the island of Tasmania. #higherseed #2018MM
Dusk has fallen and the ghost bat is out hunting. Ghost bat's teeth are "large, robust, and highly cuspidate" meaning they are great for crushing & crunching (Hudson and Wilson, 1986). #dentition #2018MMM paper here web.archive.org/web/2016031605…
But guess who else has specialized dentition, including "carnassial-like molars"? Hint: an opportunistic carnivore that is known to hunt live prey. #2018MMM
The ghost bat hears too late the rustling of a nearby bush, and tonight gets itself crunched instead. #2018MMM
TASMANIAN DEVIL DEVOURS GHOST BAT! #2018MMM

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with Patrice K. Connors

Patrice K. Connors Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @PKurnath

Mar 29, 2018
Next up from the Great Adaptations division, #1 seed Pygmy Hippo vs #4 seed Tasmanian Devil! #2018MMM
This battle brought to you by @c_n_anderson, I'm just sharing the story tonight! #2018MM
The pygmy hippo is herbivorous, feeding on fruits, grasses and ferns - it's large canines are used for aggresive displays, not hunting #2018MMM arkive.org/pygmy-hippopot…
Read 20 tweets
Mar 27, 2018
NEXT UP we have #8 seeded Thalassocnus catans vs. #1 seeded Doedicurus clavicaudatus! #2018MMM
In round 1, Thalassocnus #MarineSloth munched on some sea grasses while Cynognathus #DinoDog got washed away with the #RIP tide #TeamMarineSloth eol.org/pages/4530087/… #2018MMM
And Doedicurus #TankMammal barely noticed the Jugulator hop-on and then hop-off its mighty armor that is characteristic of glyptodons eol.org/pages/4529496/… #EasyWin #ReadyToRumble #2018MMM
Read 19 tweets
Mar 23, 2018
FIRST UP: #1 seed Pygmy Hippo (Choeropsis liberiensis) vs. #9 seed Maned Rat (Lophiomys imhausi)!! #2018MMM
In round 1, the pygmy hippo inadvently stabbed a wandering star-nosed mole with its tusk in a swamp #oops #mybad #2018MMM
While the maned rat dared the platypus to fight over a burrow #ComeAtMeBro but the monotreme, lacking his venom, wisely passed on the encounter #2018MMM
Read 18 tweets
Mar 20, 2018
NEXT UP: 5th seeded Moscow Dog vs. 12th seeded Sewer Rat!! #2018MMM
Our top seed in this battle is the Moscow Dog (Canis familiaris), domesticated strays that have roamed the Russian city's streets for decades en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_do… (photo from Sputnik news, credit Mikhail Fomichev) #2018MMM
News stories have highlighted this canine's ability to live side-by-side Moscovites coercing handouts & some learning to ride the subway (the Conservation, theconversation.com/how-did-moscow…; the New Yorker, newyorker.com/culture/cultur…; the Financial Times, ft.com/content/628a85…) #2018MMM
Read 22 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(