the.com/little brown bat

A flying mouse-sized vacuum that eats its body weight in mosquitoes nightly.

means A small, common North American bat species (Myotis lucifugus) with glossy brown fur, known for roosting in huge colonies and using echolocation to hunt insects on the wing.

from The name is plainly descriptive rather than storied — 'little' and 'brown' simply describe the animal, while 'bat' traces back through Middle English 'bakke,' likely related to Old Norse words for a flittering or flapping creature. The scientific name Myotis comes from Greek 'mys' (mouse) and 'ous' (ear), and 'lucifugus' is Latin for 'light-fleeing,' a nod to its strictly nocturnal habits — a fittingly literal name for a famously unglamorous, hardworking little mammal.

echolocation
Hears insect wingbeats in total darkness
metabolism
Heart rate drops to 20 beats per minute hibernating
lifespan
Can live over 30 years despite tiny size
threat
White-nose syndrome wiped out millions since 2006
the.com · every word