Spider Bat

It has an aloof demeanor. They tend to avoid people but don’t fear them. They eat bugs and various insect-like critters. They aren't good with big bodies of water and tend to stay in caves and trees. Any large opening that is attractive to its food source is where they like to hang. They act more like its cousin the bat over its other half—the jumping spider. It has eight eyes and can see in the dark as well as hear very well, while also being very responsive to vibrations. They create webs to form a funnel for the insects as well as a barrier from other bug eaters. They can bite if threatened but tend to be passive and conflict avoidant. Unlike spiders, the Spider Bat does not lay eggs. It is technically a mammal, but they feed their young similar to a bird by chewing up the food and creating a saliva milky substance for their young to consume.
This is a combination of two animals that are very useful to our ecosystem but tend to be feared. Together they form a sort of cute creature. They are perceived as a symbol of the misunderstood and stereotyped. Their cartoon-like features make them a popular symbol and are illustrated for stickers, tags, books, and other popular items as a form of self expression. Many like to use its image to say they aren't seen and are misunderstood.
They are an evolved species of their main ancestor the bat. They are a current species that is predicted to survive and further evolve with the earth. They are as common as any other bat and tend to be native to North America. They live for around 40 years, 10 years longer than a regular bat.
The image represents an average adult. The size of the animal is about the size of a mouse, slightly smaller than a rat.
The spider bat wasn’t necessarily discovered by any one person, they slowly started appearing around the early 1800’s in lesser populated areas, and people soon moved into their habitats and have co-existed ever since.