Bat Week 2024 wrapped up yesterday, and a hoary bat named Hoary Potter has gained this 12 months’s Bat Magnificence Contest. The Bureau of Land Administration (BLM) holds the bizarre competitors yearly throughout Bat Week, permitting the general public to vote for his or her favourite, most lovely bat.
“Congratulations Hoary Potter, for successful your remaining duel!” wrote the BLM in its Instagram publish asserting this 12 months’s winner. “It’s official: Hoary has gained the 2024 Bat Magnificence Contest and is topped the nation’s most lovely bat.”
Hoary Potter is from Oregon, making it the third 12 months in a row {that a} bat from Oregon has gained this coveted title.
Bats are an necessary a part of ecosystems. Some bats eat pests like mosquitos (they will eat as much as 1,200 mosquitoes an hour, based on BLM!), and different bats assist pollinate crops.
See Hoary Potter, probably the most lovely bat in america, right here:
Header picture by Emma Busk / Bureau of Land Administration