A hammer-headed bat. They may be the source for a vaccine to the Ebola virus.

You may remember the hammer-headed bat. We shared a bit about it in a previous post. We've partnered with @nihgov to study its ecology and behavior in Africa, as these bats are suspected of being asymptomatic reservoirs for the Ebola virus.

They're also incredibly unique-looking and the largest fruit bats on the continent. "I'm simply awestruck," WCS's Sarah Olson wrote about them previously.

Does that they could hold the key to a type of vaccine...?

Great question! It’s certainly a possibility – learning how bats avoid getting sick from viruses that make humans sick is an emerging and interesting field of study. Our WCS team of scientists are currently looking to prevent future Ebola outbreaks from happening by gaining insights into the lives of these bats and when in their life history they may shed viruses.

Source: Wildlife Conservation Society (@thewcs).

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