Banana serotine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Banana serotine
female from Mukanda River
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Genus:	Afronycteris
Species:	A. nanus
Binomial name
Afronycteris nanus (Peters, 1852)
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Synonyms
Pipistrellus nanus Peters, 1852 Pipistrellus africanus Rüppell, 1842 Neoromicia nana Peters, 1852

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The banana serotine (Afronycteris nanus) is a small bat that lives across a large part of Africa. It used to be called the banana pipistrelle. Scientists first named it Pipistrellus nanus. Later, they studied its genes and moved it to a different group called Neoromicia. Even more recent studies show that the banana serotine and another bat, Heller's serotine, belong to their own special group called Afronycteris.

What Does the Banana Serotine Look Like?

Banana serotines are very small bats. They are about 7 to 8 centimeters (around 3 inches) long. About half of their length is their tail! These bats weigh only 2 to 4 grams, which is less than a single grape. Female bats are usually a little bigger than males.

Their fur is dark, with golden or reddish-brown tips. On their belly, the fur tips are greyish or almost white. Their wings are brown. Sometimes, the back edge of their wings has a thin white border. Their ears are shaped like triangles. Inside their ear, there's a small flap called a tragus, which looks like a tiny hatchet.

Special Pads on Their Thumbs

Banana serotines have unusual pads on their thumbs. These pads are made of ridged, hairy skin. They also have many tiny glands that produce oil. Underneath the pads, there's a patch of tissue and a small piece of cartilage. This cartilage connects to a muscle. The bat can use this muscle to make the pads cup-shaped. Scientists are not sure if these pads work like suction cups. They might just help the bat grip things better by creating more friction.

Most, but not all, banana serotines also have a noticeable gland on each side of their tail. Scientists don't know what these glands are for yet.

Where Do Banana Serotines Live?

Banana serotines live in many parts of Africa, south of the Sahara Desert. However, you won't find them in the dry Namib and Kalahari deserts. They live in different types of places, like lowland and mountain rainforests. They also live in open grasslands called savannahs. You can find them in other wooded areas too, like fruit farms.

Different Types of Banana Serotines

Scientists have found six different types, or subspecies, of banana serotines. These types are found in different areas:

• Afronycteris nanus nanus - Found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania, stretching south to Kwazulu-Natal.
• Afronycteris nanus africanus - Found from Ethiopia to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• Afronycteris nanus culex - Found from Nigeria to Ghana.
• Afronycteris nanus fouriei - Found in southern Angola and western Zambia.
• Afronycteris nanus meesteri - Found in south-eastern South Africa.
• Afronycteris nanus stampflii - Found from the Ivory Coast to Sierra Leone.

How Do Banana Serotines Behave?

These bats get their name because they often rest inside the rolled-up, tube-like leaves of banana trees. They also use leaves from similar plants, like plantains. But they don't just use banana trees! They also roost in other trees with similar leaf shapes, such as Strelitzia nicolai and sugar plum. Sometimes, they even rest in palm trees, drainage pipes, or holes in buildings.

When the weather is cool, some banana serotines enter a daily state of torpor. This is like a short nap where their body temperature and activity slow down. Many bats rest alone or in pairs. But sometimes, you can find groups of up to 150 bats together! Male bats have been seen protecting their favorite resting spots. Female bats, however, move around a lot between different places. This means they don't usually stay with the same male partners.

What Do They Eat and How Do They Hunt?

Banana serotines are insect-eaters. They mainly eat beetles and small moths. They fly close to the ground, usually about 2 to 5 meters (6 to 16 feet) high. They catch insects while flying in the air. They start flying to find food less than an hour after the sun sets. They fly continuously in a small area, rarely going more than 100 meters (about 330 feet) from where they rest.

These bats use echolocation to find insects. They make short, high-pitched calls that last only a few milliseconds. The main sound of their calls is around 43 kHz, which is too high for humans to hear. Male bats also make longer calls with up to eight different sounds when they meet other males. Sometimes, two males might have ultrasonic "duels" that last up to twenty minutes. These duels often end with one bat chasing the other through the air. When they are upset, both male and female bats make noisy "squabble" calls that change in pitch.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

Male banana serotines can reproduce from June to late September. Most adult females are pregnant by the end of July. Female bats can store the male's sperm inside their bodies for a long time before getting pregnant.

Pregnancy lasts for eight weeks. In many parts of Africa, one or two baby bats are born at the start of the wet season, around November. However, in other areas, babies can be born at any time of the year. The young bats drink their mother's milk for about eight weeks. They are fully grown by the time they are five months old.