• An unusual breed of fruit bat — previously nicknamed ‘Yoda’ due to its resemblance to the Jedi Master in the popular Star Wars movies — has now officially been registered as a new species.

• Discovered in a remote rainforest of Papua New Guinea, the bat has been renamed the happy (Hamamas) tube-nosed fruit bat. Its unusual features saw it affectionately referred to as the ‘Yoda bat’.

• However, after examining studies and some 3,000 specimens in 18 museums around the world, a researcher from the University of York in the U.K. has formally distinguished and registered the new species.

• “The species is very difficult to tell apart from other tube-nosed bat species.

• “Most of the morphological characteristics that separate this bat from other species are associated with a broader, rounder jaw, which gives the appearance of a constant smile.

• “Since most remote Papuans have never seen Star Wars, I thought it fitting to use a local name: the Hamamas — meaning happy — tube-nosed fruit bat.

Source:TH