Spix Disc-Winged Bat (Thyroptera tricolor) ~ The Comfort of Family


Spix Disc-Winged Bats are always on the move.  By anatomical comparison with morphologically similar species, we can calculated that their heart rate in flight is likely about 1,000 BPM (beats per minute) and at rest is likely 400 BPM!  Not only do they move a lot physically, but they differ from other bats in that they make a new roost every day (they’re nocturnal).  By using suction cups on their wrists, Spixies climb up newly forming leaves and suction-cup themselves to the inside to sleep.  They stay in family units of 5 or 6, bundling together in the tube-like leaf to sleep the day away.

 I wonder what it would be like to never know where your next meal would be?  Or where you’d be sleeping at the end of the day?  In Philippians 4v12, Paul writes, “I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.”  As an itinerant, i can relate.  i spend a lot of time sleeping in airports, or in train stations, or in hotel rooms, between speaking engagements or ministry opportunities.  Over the course of just one academic year i had 4 different homes.  One of those homes was condemned after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake in New Zealand!  But through it all i have felt the love and support of my family and friends.  The Spix Disc-Winged Bat is a beautiful creature because it sticks to one thing… well two things… leaves and FAMILY.  How comforting to know that even when everything in life seems to change, when everything comes unhinged, when we feel as if we’re hanging on by a suction cup, we aren’t alone.  We have a family, the family of Christ, and that is a comforting thought.  The next time you feel like you are hanging on by a thread, look around you.  There might just be someone hanging nearby who can offer some comfort!

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