EXCLUSIVE: Story from Jam Press (Tiny Bat Rediscovered)Pictured: Scientists have rediscovered a tiny bat species that had not been seen in the wild for 45 years.Tiny bat weighing less than a teaspoon of salt rediscovered after being feared extinct for 45 yearsScientists have rediscovered a tiny bat species that had not been seen in the wild for 45 years and was widely feared extinct.The remarkable find was made in Nigeria's Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary by conservation ecologist Dr Iroro Tanshi and her team during surveys of remote rainforest caves.The species, known as the short-tailed roundleaf bat, weighs just seven grams – roughly the same as a teaspoon of salt – and is recognised by its distinctive leaf-shaped nose.The rediscovery marked the first confirmed sighting of the bat in Nigeria for more than four decades and came after the species had gone undocumented globally for five years.But what should have been a moment of celebration quickly turned into a conservation emergency, as reported by creatorzine.com.Just weeks after the discovery, a devastating wildfire swept through the sanctuary, burning thousands of acres of forest and forcing researchers to evacuate.The blaze highlighted the growing threat posed by increasingly severe wildfires in one of Nigeria's last remaining areas of primary rainforest.Earlier this year, Dr Tanshi was recognised with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize – often described as the "Green Nobel Prize".The award honours environmental campaigners from around the world who have made significant contributions to protecting nature.Following the wildfire, Dr Tanshi and colleagues at the Small Mammal Conservation Organization (SMACON), which she co-founded in 2016, launched an ambitious community-led campaign to protect the forest and the rare species living within it.The Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary, located in Cross River State in southeastern Nigeria, forms part of one of the country's largest remaining ra.19 Jun 2026Pictured: Story from Jam Press (Tiny Bat Rediscovered)Pictured: Scientists have rediscovered a tiny bat species that had not been seen in the wild for 45 years.Tiny bat weighing less than a teaspoon of salt rediscovered after being feared extinct for 45 yearsScientists have rediscovered a tiny bat species that had not been seen in the wild for 45 years and was widely feared extinct.The remarkable find was made in Nigeria's Afi Mountain Wildlife Sanctuary by conservation ecologist Dr Iroro Tanshi and her team during surveys of remote rainforest caves.The species, known as the short-tailed roundleaf bat, weighs just seven grams – roughly the same as a teaspoon of salt – and is recognised by its distinctive leaf-shaped nose.The rediscovery marked the first confirmed sighting of the bat in Nigeria for more than four decades and came after the species had gone undocumented globally for five years.But what should have been a moment of celebration quickly turned into a conservation emerge.,Image: 1111245792, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: NO Australia, Germany, Norway, South Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States, Unknown Country, Model Release: no

Dim in ogenj predstavljata veliko grožnjo netopirjem (simbolična fotografija). Foto: profimedia

Velik kot čajna žlička, redek kot zaklad: netopir se je vrnil po 45 letih

Po 45 letih so v nigerijskem deževnem gozdu znova odkrili izjemno redkega kratkorepega netopirja, a je njegovo preživetje kmalu zatem ogrozil uničujoč gozdni požar.

03. 07. 2026, 08.37

Vesna Levičnik

Uvodno navdušenje nad ponovnim odkritjem ene najredkejših vrst netopirjev na svetu je v Nigeriji hitro zamenjala zaskrbljenost. V deževnem gozdu Afi Mountain so znanstveniki po 45 letih znova našli kratkorepega netopirja, le nekaj tednov pozneje pa je zaščiteno območje zajel obsežen gozdni požar.

Drobnega sesalca, ki tehta le okoli sedem gramov, je med raziskovanjem jam odkrila ekologinja dr. Iroro Tanshi s svojo raziskovalno ekipo. Zaradi njegove izjemne redkosti in dejstva, da ga v naravi niso opazili vse od leta 1978, so številni domnevali, da je vrsta že izumrla.

Dr. Iroro Tanshi opozarja, da bi lahko afriški gozdovi skrivali še številne vrste, ki jih znanost še ni odkrila ali pa jih je prezgodaj razglasila za izumrle. Foto: profimedia

Kratkorepi netopir je prepoznaven po značilnem nosnem listu, njegovo telo pa je tako majhno, da tehta približno toliko kot čajna žlička soli. Po ocenah strokovnjakov na svetu živi manj kot 1500 osebkov, ki se združujejo v majhne kolonije z desetimi do petnajstimi netopirji.

Veselje ob pomembnem odkritju ni trajalo dolgo. Le nekaj tednov pozneje je rezervat Afi Mountain zajel uničujoč gozdni požar, ki je opustošil na tisoče hektarjev gozda in raziskovalce prisilil k evakuaciji. Dim in ogenj predstavljata veliko grožnjo tej vrsti, saj lahko netopirje že dim prisili, da trajno zapustijo svoja jamska zatočišča.

Tanshijeva, ki je tudi prejemnica prestižne nagrade Goldman Environmental Prize, je medtem organizirala lokalne skupnosti za preprečevanje nadaljnjega širjenja požarov. Ob tem opozarja, da bi lahko afriški gozdovi skrivali še številne vrste, ki jih znanost še ni odkrila ali pa jih je prezgodaj razglasila za izumrle. Njeno delo je pomembno tudi pri spreminjanju odnosa javnosti do netopirjev, ki imajo ključno vlogo v ekosistemih. Poleg uravnavanja populacij žuželk namreč številne vrste sodelujejo tudi pri opraševanju rastlin in ohranjanju biotske raznovrstnosti.