Miniopterus griveaudi is a bat found in northern and western Madagascar and on nearby islands, including Grande Comore and Anjouan. With a forearm length of 35 to 38 mm (1.4 to 1.5 in), M. griveaudi is a small Miniopterus. It is usually dark brown, but sometimes reddish, with a virtually hairless tail membrane. The species occurs up to 480 m (1570 ft) above sea level on Madagascar, often in karstic areas. In the Comoros, it reaches 890 m (2920 ft) and roosts in lava tubes as well as shallower caves. Data on reproduction is limited and suggests individual and inter-island variation. Species of Miniopterus generally feed on insects. Although it was first described in 1959 as a subspecies of the mainland African M. minor and later placed with the Malagasy M. manavi, it was given its own species name after morphological and molecular studies from 2008 and 2009 indicated that M. manavi actually represented five unrelated species.

Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniopterus_griveaudi

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1305:

Raymond Bertrand de Got became Pope Clement V, succeeding Pope Benedict XI who died one year earlier. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Clement_V

1832:

The June Rebellion, an anti-monarchist uprising of students, broke out in Paris. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Rebellion

1883:

The Orient Express, a train line that became synonymous with intrigue and luxury travel, began operations. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orient_Express

1963:

The British Secretary of State for War John Profumo admitted he lied to the House of Commons during enquiries about his involvement in a sex scandal and resigned. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profumo_affair

1989:

An anonymous demonstrator, later dubbed "Tank Man", single- handedly stopped a column of Chinese tanks during the Tiananmen Square protests before being dragged aside. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tank_Man

_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:

vulgarian: A vulgar individual, especially one who emphasizes or is oblivious to their vulgar qualities. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/vulgarian

___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:

Pure democracy or sheer equalitarianism in religious matters is not to be expected of our human nature. Some distinction between leaders or founders and followers or disciples seems to be our destiny. But there is a question of degree, or of qualification. To what extent, or under what conditions, are some individuals, or perhaps is some unique individual, worthy of trust in religious matters? It is in the answer to this question that mistakes can be made.   --Charles Hartshorne https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Charles_Hartshorne