Josh Hydeman

A southwestern approaches the surface of a creek to sip water under the starlight.

Have you ever seen a bat with ears that curl back like a ram’s horns?

From the side, this bat reminds me of HR Giger’s paintings of the Xenomorph from the movie Alien.

Meet the Allen’s big-eared bat ( ), also known as Idionycteris phyllotis. This fascinating species is one of the most charismatic bats in the mountains of the southwestern United States and Mexico. Their standout features include lappets—disk-like protrusions above their brows—and impressively large ears. Like many bats that roost in caves, forests, and abandoned mines, their main threat is habitat loss.

This particular bat made a surprise appearance during a mist netting session led by Janet Tyburec of Bat Survey Solutions. The goal of the session was to research bats and educate newcomers at the Southwest Research Station in Portal, Arizona. This station is a non-profit organization managed by the Science Department of the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York. The photo of this bat was captured with the help of .lynn.harrison.

The Spiral Trail of the Exodus

The spiraling trail of 20 million Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida brasiliensis) at Bracken Cave after dark is like a living, breathing MC Escher. The sky in the image is filled with streaks of motion, highlighting the abundance of bat activity. The bat tornado pulses and modulates its pace as the bats flee into the night at an average speed of 60mph.

These bats are known to fly up to 10,000 feet to prey on migrating moths. Just fascinating!

This image was captured in July of 2023 under the guidance of Fran Hutchins, Director of Bracken Cave.