We don’t blame you for thinking that most bats look the same. And they kind of do from afar. But the truth is that there are many different bat species out there, with each having its unique features and characteristics.
Paper artist Juan Nicolás Elizalde was fascinated with the features that distinguish one bat species from another, perhaps similar, one. This includes the difference in facial features, fur, the shape of the ears, and much more. This inspired him to start an intriguing series of paper sculptures called “Amiguitos de la oscuridad,” which translates to “Little Friends of Darkness.”
The series saw Elizalde creating paper busts for 88 different bat species, including Borneo roundleaf bat and Tube-lipped nectar bat. The artist is now sharing them on Instagram while adding some info about every one of them in the caption. This added an educational dimension to his works on top of the artistic one.
“The project is called Little Friends of Darkness because they are nocturnal animals that I want to be friends with, but also because they helped me to spend the nights of the last few strange and dark years, with a little anxiety about what was happening,” Elizalde explained the story behind his sculptures.
