The Weirdest Insect I've Ever Filmed! BAT FLY 

Pretty ironic that the only flying mammal has a flightless fly as a parasite.

Since it’s doesn’t fly is it a walk

I did my MSc thesis project on these weird little guys: they're *so* fast, and actually how they move is dependent on the species. Some walk really far, but some are "fur swimmers", which dive inside the bat's fur, and some others are "wing crawlers" which love to latch onto the wings. Actually, I wasn't even looking at the bat flies; I was looking at little fungal parasites on THEM. There's a group of fungi called Laboulbeniales, which infect insects, including bat flies. That's a parasite on a parasite, a hyperparasite!

Ah yes, the flightless fly. Better known as “the walk”.

I'm always fascinated by how uniquely parasitic species evolve so that they're able to thrive in their respective niches. Thank you for sharing Dr. Adrian!

its always the parasitic animals that look the most unusual. Great vid!

a perfect example of convergent evolution, becoming the shape of a spider, moving like a spider, and feeding like a tick, I think this lil' guy has earnt himself the title of honorary Arachnid. Thanks for doing a video on these little fellas, I haven't seen footage of these before. I know you probably get requests for certain species a lot, but I've been looking into studying these small, primitive, mite-like arachnids called "Ricinulei", but there isn't more than a few seconds of footage online. I just wanted to make you aware of these weird little things, because I feel that the species as a whole has gone incredibly undocumented, and some good quality footage of them would be amazing if you ever get the chance to film them, or go to a place where they live.

The high kick motion actually occurs in almost all tarantulas as well when they're simply walking. They appear to use it as a sensory maneuver to detect vertical surfaces that need to be climbed on to avoid smashing into them.

WoW just WOW! They look like spider ticks not flies at all! I thought I knew almost every weird insect species, but this just proves the surfaces has just been scratched. Thank You!

The bat fly is so fascinating! It’s so cool the way it walks. At first glance it appears to be a spider, but it has six legs. I find it interesting that we can see vestigial Dipteran features on this insect.

Suppose keeping the gyroscopes might be handy if you live on a critter that swerves around in the air all night

I had the opportunity to sit in on some surveys with a friend of mine who's a PhD student studying bats. We were lucky enough to come across a bat fly while I was with him! What wonderful insects, thank you for highlighting them! Most people don't know they exist.

Their spiky hairs and exoskeleton reminds me of close ups of fleas.

This channel is an absolute gem. Thank you for sharing your passion. Every post blows my mind.

Dang what a unique insect, I didn't realize there were flies out there that don't...you know...*fly*. It's also crazy that there are over 300 species of these things specifically designed to leech off of bats. Really great feature!

Your skills to capture them on film are equally phenomenal as these bat flies!😮 Thanks for sharing!

Wow, that is such a bizarre creature!! Thanks for finding one and sharing! Also, your colleague sounds like she does really interesting work, too - thanks for shining a spotlight on her. Those elephant mandibles are HUGE!!

Dear Adrian, Thanks for doing real science in public. It's brave, it's beautiful and it's very valuable.

These flies can have fungal ectoparasites of the Laboulbeniomycetes class...my current objective is finding a specimen which would be the 4th documented sighting of them in my country. Im collecting beetles and other hosts...im pretty into mycology but ima have to get into entomology too it seems. Wish me luck!

A fly, huh? Looks more like a walk to me.

NYCTERIBIIDS MY BELOVED YESSSSSSSS their claw retracting is INSANE!!!! had no idea they could do that!! Just like a kitty

How have I never heard of bat flies until today? Thanks for exanding my knowledge. This is facinating!

My jaw literally dropped when I fully processed what the thumbnail was... wow!! I only found out about these relatively recently and just didn't even conceive that there would be video footage of them, let alone amazing high resolution slow-mo This was truly otherworldly, it feels like it shouldn't be real! The retractable claws blew my mind, and so did the halteres, and that head. Amazing work documenting such a unique and under-researched animal in this way, I'm sure it's a first

Its head looks a lot like a flea’s head. When I saw it in the thumbnail I thought this was some kind of spider! I never knew these animals existed until today. Truly fascinating and I would love to see a more in-depth analysis of them in the future!

The first thing I thought was wether or not they had those haltiers (is that how you spell it?) because I was fascinated some videos ago when you pointed them out on all flies and well, there they are, on this otherwise wingless fly! Fascinating! And it's always nice to see other experts in short video's; they seem genuine and happy to tell a bit about their research.

I cannot even imagine how specifically adapted they must be to stay holding on to a flying bat. Bats are aerial acrobats. I bet those hooks are capable of (relatively) phenomenal grip on their host organism.

Actually kinda looks like a Solfugid/Camel Spider at first glance, just with a flea-like head. Really interesting how spider-like they are!

That's not a fly, that's a walk.

I’m really glad this channel is growing, the content is always top tier.

Amazing! Spectacular! Thanks for sharing your discoveries and insights of such interesting creatures. After watching this video, I feel better about my life for not having those flies crawling on my skin and ears. 🙂

There is so much more I want to know now! How did you take it off the bat? How long do you manage to keep it alive in your lab, do you feed it? Why did all of these features surprise you, is this info not easily available or are you one of the first to document them? As always, thanks for sharing an insight in your science practise!

I truly appreciate the videos that your produce and the collaborations that you have with the various scientists working at the university. I love these glimpses into the various sides of biology. You were also the person that got me to buy 'Ant Architecture'. Thanks for what you are doing!

Is it possible that the halteres actually still serve a function? They are not able to fly but they are attached to something that is flying.

Wow that's incredible to see up close! The fact that it has functional halteres and no wings is very interesting.

More than amazing. I can't begin to express how much appreciation and respect I have for all of the scientists who delve so carefully and deeply into the details of existence, and then share it with us. You have enriched my life beyond measuring. Thank you so very much.

So you're telling me the "walk" is a real bug and not just a joke from the middleschool playground? Incredible.

AMAZING footage! Have always been fascinated by these guys so of course I was geeking out to see my favorite youtube channel show them off in motion. Seeing those halteres was mind blowing

Fantastic! Thank you for bringing this unusual insect to our attention! 💜

I have so much respect for people who work with bats, bugs & moths. Those are 3 things that I lose it around and anyone who can keep their cool around them is a superstar.

Thank you for documenting this, I've struggled to find any media containing bat flies ever since i discovered they existed. As an evolutionary biology student, these weird parasites are something i find super interesting.

Another fantastic, high-quality, educational video. Thank you!

I'm so thankful that you are so interested in bugs because I get to enjoy the fruit of your labor. I just love your channel and all of your hard work! Truly, Thank You so much for sharing with us!

I love how you teach us and the way this is straight to the point edited and what not.

This was an extremely fascinating video! I never knew these existed. The leftover functional gyroscopes & questing behavior was interesting. It’s strange how these are even related to flies at all. Thank you for educating :)

Wow. Very rare footage

Beautiful photography. I watch a couple of bat rescue channels from Australia. Mostly the big flying fox fruit bats. They almost always have bat flie on them. It always looks so out of place to me to see the creepy critters scurrying across such adorable animals.

This is one of the most accessible and high quality sources of entomology videos on youtube.

I feel so fortunate to be able to witness a live Walk on camera!

A fly that can't fly must feel very self-conscious.

Very interesting insect.

You are so talented and curious! Thank you for sharing your discoveries and educating us on the unknown through your fantastic Lense.

Incredible work! Thanks for the show 🤩

is it possible they retained the halteres because they're parasites specifically of a flying animal? I'm really curious about why they evolved to keep them even after losing their wings

It looks like a true bug trying to mimic a spider, but it's not a true bug and it's not trying to mimic a spider. That's insane

Incredible footage and wonderful commentary as always!

This channel needs more subs, it's amazing. I hope bio teachers are showing this to their students.

I feel like Im looking at an incomplete camel spider.

funny lookin little fella

Thank you for filming this and yep, that is the weirdest, and creepiest, insect I've seen. Absolutely fascinating though.

Kind of ironic that is called a fly that can't fly, but it is so much more like an arachnid to me than an insect. Ao utterly bizarre, but mind-blowing and fascinating. And somewhat creepy. Thats inaects for you though! Fantastic footage!

Diptera has gotta be the most diverse group of bugs, you got house flys, crane flys, mosquitos, hoverflies, robber flys, and now bat flys haha

Never heard of anything like that before and thank you so much for making videos like this showing insects then I'm sure many of us didn't know existed.

I LOVE it when I get introduced to something new I've never heard about. This is awesome

"This fly doesn't have wings" So it's a walk.

The slugcats are approaching fast.

This is such a cool thing to learn about and I'm glad you do what you do, sharing this information and educating; thank you!

Me geeking out about this! Thank for making this. ❤

Love your work! Still my favourite channel! From Ontario, Canada

The walk starting at 3:33 could very well be a creative interpretation of Monty Python's Ministry of Silly Walk. Science of cool - thanks for sharing :)

As an amateur naturalist, I'm amazed. As an arachnophobic, I'm mortified. Great video!

I'm so happy you had clips of Lisa in the museum collections. That's my dream job.

Is THIS a Rain World Reference ?

BATFLY RAINWORLD!?

The way they walk and that clip of one of the bat flies running into the bats ear made me kinda cringe. At the same time those parasites look really cool and otherworldly. great video , keep it up :)

Very cool. Have never heard or seen one of these before. Thank you for sharing

That is totally insane. A fly that looks and acts like a tick. First time I've even seen or heard of this. How would this breed? Are the maggots parasitic as well? I have heard of bat bugs which suck blood like bed bugs. I love this stuff. Salute. 👍👍👍

I was initially completely disgusted by these creatures, but seeing them up close and in slow motion somehow makes me feel less so. I wonder what the halteres could be used for on a fly without wings? Absolutely fascinating video!

It's always videos like these that give me the most joy, seeing the excitement and weird, yet wonderful things people do in the pursuit of knowledge

First I thought of a Hippoboscidae, with which they are related. I did not know the family before. Thanks for these great insights!

These aren't flies, they're walks..

Bat fly you say?~

This is fascinating, I looked at the image you used for the thumbnail and I assumed it was threat posturing similar to spiders.

Thank you for sharing! Amazing stuff, especially the footage of it walking around on the ground! This is one of the grossest animals I've ever seen - I can't imagine how awful it is to have one racing on you, too quick for you to grab. D:

rainworld mentioned

Rainworld moment

Wow that was great footage! Nice work!

Wow-I've never even heard of this-thanks for sharing!

WH- UHH RAIN WORLD REAL?????

It’s actually called a “Walk”

Please more segments about bat flies! This was incredibly interesting. Thank you

YES A VIDEO OF IT. IVE ONLY SEEN PICTURES. THANK YOU

That is not a fly. It is a walk

Am i the only one that clicked on this because of rain world?

I love how convergent evolution reinforces the idea that no matter how diverse, there is always a set rule as to how to adapt to a specific niche, dolphins and sharks - long, grey with fins all over, batflys and ticks have a flat body with long legs

I recall back in college, I have a roommate that always have bats in bags hanging in one of the posts of our bunk beds. The room would always smell of bat piss + wild animal. I'm glad I was only there for a month since I'm staying there only for a midyear semester (a 1-month semester here in our country used by students to catch up when they're behind in subjects). I've only realized later on that his undergraduate thesis topic was the parasites on bats, specifically these parasite flies. I've heard from our dorm manager that in a semester, he caught 300 bats for collection. Unfortunately, I've heard that this roommate of mine passed away back in 2018, while descending the tallest mountain in our country after a research expedition. Nobody knew why he suddenly collapsed while on their way down. I hope you find peace in the afterlife, James.

Such a cool channel!! Love the videos

I am always amazed by these videos. Thanks so much!

Amazing! I got my degree in Biology back in the '70s, and just when I think I've seen or heard or read about them all, I learn about some creature I never knew existed.

Very cool! I had never seen one of those before. Thank you for sharing.

Fascinating! Thanks for sharing this.