A scientist caught this bat during a biodiversity survey. When Piotr Naskrecki spotted the parasite on the bat’s head, his interest was immediately aroused and he quickly started to take photographs for research.
Piotr didn’t have much time before the bat was released, and the parasite was removed, but he did manage to capture the bristles and claws of its firmly attached stowaway.
At first glance, the smaller animal looks like a spider, but gripped to the head of the Mozambican long‑fingered bat was actually a six-legged, wingless bat fly.
This bloodsucking parasite moves around on its host, but usually sits on the lower back, out of reach. When a bat is in flight, the fly may sit on its host’s head instead.‘Big Bat Bloodsucker’ was highly commended in #WPY56’s Behaviour: Invertebrates category.
See more fascinating images of wildlife in our online gallery: https://brnw.ch/21wV4Sx Wildlife Photographer of the Year
Sometimes reality outdoes the imagination.