Bats flap elastic wings, lighter than the echoes by which they navigate, and feast on moths and mosquitoes and other insects of the night. Though there are only three species that survive on blood, and many that survive on fruit, bats have inspired vampiric legends for millennia—have seduced us into darker realms of fantasy in which handsome fanged counts and femme fatales drink the blood of their victims. But bats have also flapped into the imaginations of the pioneers of aviation, such as Leonardo Da Vinci, who knew the bat was a better flyer than the bird. As clumsy as bats appear, they are stunt pilots—the only mammals capable of flight—and can make a sudden turn while flying at the exhilarating speed of 80 km/hour. The Mad Hatter certainly appreciated their uniqueness and despite their rather pedestrian ubiquitousness in popular culture, bats are a wonder in-themselves.