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Commerson's leaf-nosed bat - HIPPOSIDEROS COMMERSONI
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Bat": "Bat" comes from Old Norse "ledhrblaka," "leather flapper." It became "bakka" and then "bat."
Description: A large, robust bat with short tail enclosed in the tail membrane; leaf-shaped ears and broad, rounded noseleaf on base of 3 or 4 fleshy leaflets. Pelage (fur) may be either of 2 color phases: red-orange or sepia-brown above, gray or white beneath. Length of head and body about 4.3 in, forearm 4 in; weight 4.6 oz.
Location: Throughout Africa south of the Sahara.
Habitat: Savanna and woodlands; occasionally forests.
Behavior: With a wingspan of nearly 2 feet, the giant leaf-nosed bat is one of the largest insectivorous species in Africa. It is eaten in Tanzania. Large colonies, sometimes hundreds of individuals, roost by day in caves, though hollow trees and even shrubs sometimes provide shelter. At night, Commerson's bat flies at low levels foraging for the variety of insects upon which it feeds. It spits out the hard parts of insects, consuming only the soft portions. This bat is known to gorge on flying termites.
Reproduction: Gestation is thought to be 5 months; the single offspring is usually born in October, at the beginning of the rainy season. Although the young bat grows rapidly, it is not weaned until over 5 months of age, and only reaches sexual maturity when 2 years old.
Go to the Bats Page to get a general discussion of this flying mammal.
Go to the Bats Index to study the other bats included in America Zoo.
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