Behold the Sweaty Suckerfoot

This is pretty cool. The bat above is from Madagascar. Its scientific name is the Myzopoda aurita, or "suckerfoot." That's because it can grab onto slick surfaces like that leaf and just attach itself. But how does this bat do it?

It sweats. And then the bat's sweaty palms help it stick to stuff. As one scientist said, "It's not the sucker-footed bat, but the wet-adhesion bat." Oh well, too late to change its name now!

Story from National Geographic,

photo copyright by Merlin D. Tuttle, Bat Conservation International