‘Micro’ creature with ‘large hairy feet’ caught in Australia is ‘incredible’ find
On a cold, quiet night just after sunset, researchers hung harp traps in the trees of Australia’s coastal grasslands and waited patiently for any hidden creatures about to emerge.
The team was staked out in the Illawarra Lowland Grassy Woodlands, an endangered bioregion about 50 miles south of Sydney.
Donning headlights, researchers checked the traps throughout the evening.
Then, at midnight, they made an “incredible discovery,” according to an Aug. 7 news release from the New South Wales Office of Environment and Heritage.
More than 350 “microbats” representing 11 species, including the “rare” southern myotis, were found in the traps, officials said. They were released after being measured and identified.
This is the first record of the southern myotis, a threatened species, in the Illawarra, according to the release. It is known for its small body and disproportionately “large hairy feet,” according to experts
Microbats are known to prefer the vegetation and protection of habitats like the endangered Illawarra, experts said. Their presence is an asset to the region as they are “particularly good mosquito munchers” and pollinators of native plant species.
Officials said “the extent of the microbat population in the local grassy woodlands is still being investigated.”
“By day they are nearly invisible, sleeping quietly in hollows,” senior threatened species officer Beth Mott said in the release. “In fact, it’s nearly impossible to know where they are.”
This story was originally published August 11, 2025 at 12:51 PM with the headline "‘Micro’ creature with ‘large hairy feet’ caught in Australia is ‘incredible’ find."
