Part of what makes this bat look life-like is the yarn used.  This pattern calls for Lion Brand's Go for Faux Yarn for the furry bits (the bat's head and body), and it's the most fluffilicious yarn I've ever felt!! 

With many color choices, I ended up deciding to go with the "Blonde Elk" faux fur yarn color.  Bats are generally quite dark in color, and a black and dark brown would appear a lot closer to the real-life animal, but I didn't have any colored eyes I could use to add to my bat and have the eyes "stand out".  I only had black eyes, which would look very flat and difficult to spot out when attached to black yarn.  Thus, I went with a lighter, almost silvery grey fur yarn, and used light grey medium weight yarn to go with it. My bat may not be hyper realistic with these color choices, but I think he's adorable nonetheless! 

If working with fluffy, furry yarn is new to you, check out my Tips for Crocheting with Fluffy Yarn post for some good pointers, along with a video.  If you'd like to learn more about Go for Faux yarn specifically, don't miss out on my Go for Faux Yarn Review post and video!  (You can see all the great color selections to make your bat with!)

It was also helpful to use a darning needle with a latch hook eye to thread the furry yarn.  It's so bulky, that it's very difficult to thread it through a regular yarn needle.  For that reason, I got the special Clover Darning Needle with Latch Hook Eye and am so glad that I did, because it makes sewing with this bulky yarn a breeze!