Bat rescued as a preemie baby acts exactly like a puppy, even demanding belly rubs
Bats are so much more adorable than we realize.
Behold: Eddie, the cutest bat in the whole world.
Halloween movies might have taught us to think of bats as scary, vicious, disease spreading creatures of the night, but in many ways they really are just sweet, adorable dogs…with wings.
Take Eddie, for instance.
Eddie was a teeny tiny little fruit bat (aka flying fox) born prematurely and found at a theme park. Luckily, he was rescued by wildlife nurse and bat rehabilitator Rhi, who surmised that the poor guy fell from his mom while she was flying one night. Flying foxes hold onto their mother’s stomach as she flies around at night. However, being born premature meant that Eddie probably didn’t have the strength to do so.
As Eddie began to heal, his natural personality began to come out, which was apparently the personality of a puppy.
Just like a pupper, Eddie was affectionate, emotional, able to recognize voices and even learn his own name. He also showed a fondness for belly rubs…and would get very jealous when other bats get pets.
Watch below, video courtesy of GeoBeats Animals:
Like dogs, bats are very social animals. As Rhi explains, they require “lots of love when their babies,” and bond with who they perceive to be their mother. Hence why Eddie became so close towards his caretaker.
Despite his puppy tendencies, however, Eddie was still a bat that ultimately needed to be in the wild. Since Rhi’s aviary releases its residents when they are ready, Eddie has since gone off on his own, but everytime she looks out at the night sky, she wonders if she sees him flying around. Sounds like the amazingly sweet fruit bat had the same impact on Rhi’s heart as a pet dog would, to be sure.
Bats are not only far less threatening than we think they are (for instance, contracting rabies from a bat is next to impossible, contrary to popular belief) they are far more critical for our planet than we give them credit for.
Worldwide, fruit and nectar eating bats are the exclusive pollinator for over 500 species of flowers in at least 67 plant families, especially plants that we use for medicinal purposes. And also for the agave plant…which brings us tequila. Bats are quite literally party animals.
Bats can also provide essential pest control. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service website estimates that insect eating bats save more than $1 billion per year in crop damage and pesticide costs in the corn industry alone. Across all agricultural production, the savings are more than $3 billion per year.
All this…and they’re cute as heck? These critters definitely deserve a rebranding.- 'Roman to the Rescue': 10-year-old’s sweet effort to rescue dogs lands him a Disney show ›
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Beaver in water. Photo by 
An actual beaver dam on the now-thriving Price River
Not just coworkers—family, friends, strangers, kids…
Imagine having to go so badly but being out of euros. 
Anything hobbit-esque can't be wrong. 
But what if you need pain meds AND mascara?!
Imagine how this would affect childcare.
Honestly…where's the lie?
A brown buddha statue sits near a green mountain. Photo by 
Urgent dash to the bathroom! 🚪🏃♂️
Ladybug unexpectedly found during colonoscopyPhoto credit: 
Close-up of bottom of ladybug found in colonPhoto credit: 
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."