The bat that weighs the same as a teaspoon of salt – and the biologist who rediscovered it

Biologist Iroro Tanshi rediscovered the short-tailed roundleaf bat (Hipposideros curtus) in Nigeria's Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary in 2016, a species previously believed to be extinct since the 1970s. Tanshi encountered the bat, notable for its large ears and weighing approximately the same as a teaspoon of salt, during fieldwork for her PhD research. The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, located in the Cross River rainforest and covering an area roughly the size of central Paris, serves as a critical habitat for numerous endangered species, including gorillas, drill monkeys, and the grey-necked rockfowl, in addition to the short-tailed roundleaf bat. Tanshi's discovery marked the first confirmed sighting of this bat species in nearly five decades, prompting efforts to protect its only known roosting colony within the sanctuary. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List had previously noted the species' last recorded wild appearance in the 1970s, highlighting the significance of Tanshi's find for conservation efforts.