Mammal Mania: Chiroptera Accuracy Happy Hours

Bats are so cool (and abundant) that they get their own animal order – Chiroptera! Bats are the only mammals capable of true flight, with forelimbs that have adapted into membrane covered wings.

They’re the second largest order of mammals after rodents, comprising 20% of all mammals, and include arguably the smallest of all extant mammals with Kitti’s hog-nosed bat measuring 29–34 millimetres (just over an inch) in length, and weighing in at 2–2.6 g (~1⁄32 oz).

The world’s largest bat, the giant golden-crowned flying fox, is also pretty impressive, with a 5 foot long wingspan.

Bats are particularly appropriate for our Accuracy Happy Hours due to their ability to echolocate. Though not all bats have this superpower (70% use echolocation), the ones that do use sound signals to accurately locate and target their prey.

Bats calls sound at frequencies of 14,000 to over 100,000 Hz, mainly beyond the scope of human hearing which tops out at 20,000 Hz. Bats use the larynx to conduct these sounds, which are then emitted through the mouth, or sometimes the nose.

The returning echo from these calls then allows the bat to determine an object’s distance, size, shape, and movement.

Hopefully you’re inspired by nature’s favorite ultrasonic screamers! Unfortunately we don’t have sonar vision for Eyewire enabled yet, so you’ll have to use your eyes instead.

Session 1 – 8:00 AM to 10:00 AM on 8/18
Session 2 – 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM on 8/19
Session 3 – 10:00 PM to midnight on 8/19

HQ will bestow typical Happy Hour bonuses for your work during each of those time frames, but there’s more than that to earn! Check your in-game notifications to see the full accuracy bonus breakdown.

Swag: Most accurate player completing at least 30 cubes wins the choice of a notebook or a mug, plus a sticker/magnet set! Second and third place will each also win a sticker/magnet set.

Mentors: You are still allowed to mentor people during these time windows. Please just use your best judgment as to whether someone is asking you for basic newbie help vs. trying to have you boost their accuracy on cube after cube.

Scythes: Please avoid scything during these time windows. Even though accuracy for this will be retroactively calculated, we would prefer to go with accuracy based on players’ raw tracing. By the time this challenge is scored, don’t worry, admins will have corrected consensus as needed.