September’s ‘My Love Endangered Species’ Release
News that the little tube-nosed bat has been chosen as September’s ‘My Love Endangered Species’ was announced by Penguin, a leading platform for Extinction News and Climate Crisis Media. This unique bat, classified as a class 1 threatened wild species by the Ministry of the Environment, holds great significance in the conservation efforts.
A Rare and Remarkable Species
- Belonging to the Batidae family, the little tube-nosed bat is a diminutive creature, measuring only around 4.5 cm in size and weighing under 7 g. Its small figure is reminiscent of a golf ball or an adult male’s thumb.
- This bat species was discovered in Korea approximately a decade ago, emphasizing the urgent need for domestic research. Interestingly, it had disappeared from the country for over 50 years before being rediscovered in 2011. The bat’s population in Korea remains extremely small.
- Unlike other bats, the little tube-nosed bat does not seek refuge in caves. Instead, it resides in dense forests, finding shelter in various locations such as tree holes, tree bark cracks, fallen trees or leaves, crevices in rock piles, and even old warehouses.
- Visually resembling the lesser tube-nosed bat, this species possesses a unique tube-shaped nose and is adorned with hair around its caudal membrane, setting it apart.
Combatting Misconceptions and Promoting Conservation
Unfortunately, bats, including the lesser tube-nosed bat, have faced unfounded prejudice and hatred. Recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, have falsely associated bats with being hosts for viruses, exacerbating an aversion towards them.
Contrary to these misconceptions, bats play a crucial role in maintaining the balance of ecosystems by controlling the population of disease-carrying pests. However, due to a lack of ecological knowledge and conservation awareness, discussions concerning the protection of endangered bat species have been arduous.
‘My Love Endangered Species’ Initiative
The ‘My Love Endangered Species’ initiative, led by News Penguin in collaboration with readers, aims to raise awareness about the importance of safeguarding endangered plants and wildlife. This project aspires to inspire concrete action from the public, urging them to regard endangered species as cherished friends.
Notably, endangered species are transformed into works of art, allowing the public to remember and appreciate them perpetually. Renowned Korean endangered species artist, Jin Kwan-woo, has drawn the enchanting little tube-nosed bat in his distinctive artistic style for this project.
In a pioneering move, the artwork featuring the Small Nosed Bats will be issued as a non-fungible token (NFT) by News Penguin and Publish, a technology media company co-hosting this initiative. Participants in this project will have the opportunity to own this exceptionally rare NFT.
Since December of last year, News Penguin has been actively promoting the ‘My Love Endangered Species’ campaign. Previously designated species include the fir tree (December), pie shark (January), horned duck (February), Suwon tree frog (March), horseshoe dragonfly (April), bigeye tuna (May), otter (June), Changeon Animals, and plants such as the gourd beetle (July), and the black-headed gull (August).
September’s ‘My Love Endangered Species’ has been released.
Extinction News and Climate Crisis Media News Penguin announced on the 18th that it had chosen the little tube-nosed bat as ‘My Love Endangered Species of the Month’ (hereafter referred to as ‘My Love Endangered Species’).
The little tube-nosed bat has been designated a class 1 threatened wild species by the Ministry of the Environment. It is a small bat belonging to the Batidae family, with an average body size of 4.5 cm and a weight of less than 7 g. It is smaller than a golf ball and about the size of an adult male’s thumb.
This bat is a rare species that has only been discovered in Korea for about 10 years, so domestic research is urgently needed. It disappeared from Korea for 50 years after 1959, but was rediscovered in 2011. Only a very small number are known to live in Korea.
In particular, the little tube-nosed bat was more difficult to find because it does not move into caves like other bats. These bats do not live in caves, but in dense forests, sheltering in tree holes, tree bark cracks, under fallen trees or fallen leaves, crevices in rock piles, and old warehouses.
It is similar in appearance to the lesser tube-nosed bat, but is smaller and has a light brown color. Its characteristic feature is that its nose protrudes in a tube shape and there is hair around the caudal membrane.
Because bats, including the lesser tube-nosed bat, have become the object of various forms of hatred, no active protection measures have been taken. The new coronavirus infection pandemic (Corona 19) has contributed to creating a sense of disgust by printing bats as virus hosts.
In fact, contrary to widespread misconceptions, bats play a beneficial role in the ecosystem by controlling the population of disease-carrying pests. However, due to the infinite lack of ecological knowledge and conservation awareness, even discussions on the designation of endangered species are difficult.
News Penguin’s ‘My Love Endangered Species’ is an extinction resistance action project developed in partnership with readers. The purpose is to raise awareness of the importance of protecting wild animals and endangered plants that are disappearing around us and to stimulate concrete action from the public. It includes the meaning of loving and caring for endangered species as a friend or lover.
In particular, endangered species are produced and published as works of art so that the public can always keep and remember them. For this project, Korean endangered species artist Jin Kwan-woo drew a small tube-nosed bat in a unique drawing style.
The Small Nosed Bats work will be issued as a non-fungible token (NFT) by News Penguin and Publish, a technology media company that is co-hosting this project. This extremely rare NFT is presented to project participants.
News Penguin has been promoting ‘My Love Endangered Species’ since December last year. So far, fir tree (December), pie shark (January), horned duck (February), Suwon tree frog (March), horseshoe dragonfly (April), bigeye tuna (May), otter (June), Changeon Animals and such plants as the gourd beetle (July) and the black-headed gull (August) have been chosen as endangered species of the month.
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