Myotis alcathoe, the Alcathoe bat, is a small European bat. First
described in 2001 from specimens taken from Greece and Hungary, its
known distribution has expanded to include parts of Western and Central
Europe, Spain, Italy, the Balkans, Sweden, and Azerbaijan. It is similar
to the whiskered bat (M. mystacinus), but its brown fur is distinctive,
and DNA sequencing has shown it to be a separate species. M. alcathoe
has a forearm length of 30.8 to 34.6 mm (1.21 to 1.36 in) and a body
mass of 3.5 to 5.5 g (0.12 to 0.19 oz). The fur is brown on the wings,
usually reddish-brown on the upperparts, and brown below, but more
grayish in juveniles. It has a very high-pitched echolocation call, with
a frequency that falls from 120 kHz to about 43 kHz at the end of the
call. Usually found in old-growth deciduous forest near water, it
forages high in the canopy and above water, mostly for flies. It roosts
in cavities high in trees. The species is considered at risk in
Catalonia, Germany and parts of Switzerland due to its rarity and
vulnerability to habitat loss.
Read more: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myotis_alcathoe>
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Today's selected anniversaries:
1496:
King Henry VII of England issued letters patent to John Cabot
and his sons, authorising them to explore unknown lands.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cabot>
1770:
British soldiers fired into a crowd in Boston, Massachusetts,
killing five civilians (engraving pictured).
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boston_Massacre>
1943:
The Gloster Meteor, the first operational jet fighter for the
Allied Powers, made its maiden flight.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gloster_Meteor>
1960:
Cuban photographer Alberto Korda took his iconic photograph of
Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerrillero_Heroico>
1999:
Paul Okalik was elected as the first premier of the Canadian
territory of Nunavut.
<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Okalik>
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Wiktionary's word of the day:
firebase:
(military) An encampment designed to provide indirect artillery support
to infantry troops operating beyond the normal range of fire support
from their own base camps; a fire support base.
<https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/firebase>
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Wikiquote quote of the day:
I can read ideas from all different people from all different
cultures. Without God, we can agree on reality, and I can keep learning
where I'm wrong. We can all keep adjusting, so we can really
communicate. I don't travel in circles where people say, "I have faith,
I believe this in my heart and nothing you can say or do can shake my
faith." That's just a long-winded religious way to say, "shut up," or
another two words that the FCC likes less.
--Penn Jillette
<https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Penn_Jillette>