Skull of a bat: Eumops perotis

It may look small next to a pencil, but this skull is big, for a bat. It belongs to Eumops perotis, the largest bat species in the United States. These helpful insect-eaters are strong fliers but may face difficulties from declining water sources. This one was found dead and contributed to Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History by a local. It’s among the 44,000+ specimens curated by the Museum’s Department of Vertebrate Zoology, overseen by Curator of Vertebrate Zoology Krista Fahy, PhD.