Dusky leaf-nosed bat facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Dusky leaf-nosed bat
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Genus:	Hipposideros
Species:	ater
Dusky leaf-nosed bat range

The dusky leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros ater) is a type of bat. It belongs to a group of bats called Hipposideros. These bats live in many places, from India and Sri Lanka to the Philippines, New Guinea, and Northern Australia. This species is closely related to the H. bicolor bat. It was once thought to be the same species.

The name Hipposideros comes from ancient Greek words. "Hippos" means "horse" and "sideros" means "iron." So, the name means "horseshoe." This is because bats in this group have a special nose shape that looks a bit like a horseshoe. The word ater is Latin for "black." This describes the dark color of this bat's fur.

Where They Live and What They Do

In the Philippines, these bats live in rainforests. You can find them from sea level up to high mountains (1200 meters). They rest in caves, both in forests and in areas where people farm. In Australia, they live in mangrove forests and rainforests. They also live in dry, open places.

Like most bats, H. ater is active at night. During the day, they sleep in caves, old mines, and sometimes in tree holes. They like dark, warm, and damp spots. These bats eat small, flying insects. They fly slowly but are very good at turning and moving around. They usually mate in April. The baby bats are born between October and December. They stop drinking milk in January.

Where You Can Find Them

The dusky leaf-nosed bat lives in many different places.

In Australia, you can find them in the far north of Western Australia (the Kimberly region). They also live in the northern part of the Northern Territory. You can see them in Cape York and nearby areas in Queensland. Sometimes, they are found outside these main areas, in Middle-Queensland and the southern Northern Territories.

In New Guinea, they have been found in a few spots, all in Papua New Guinea. They also live on islands like Ambon, the Aru Islands, Morotai, New Britain, New Ireland, and Woodlark. You might also find them on the Sangihe Islands and Talaud Islands.

In the Philippines, these bats live on many islands. These include Balabac, Bohol, Catanduanes, Leyte, Luzon, Marinduque, Maripipi, Mindanao, Negros, and Palawan.

Different Kinds of Dusky Leaf-Nosed Bats

Scientists divide this bat species into several groups called subspecies. These are slightly different versions of the same bat, often found in different places.

Here are some of them:

• H. a. amboinensis from Ambon.
• H. a. antricola from the Philippines.
• H. a. ater from Sri Lanka and India.
• H. a. aruensis from the Aru Islands and New Guinea.
• H. a. gilberti from Australia.
• H. a. nicobarulae from the Nicobar Islands.
• H. a. saevus from areas between South-Thailand and the Moluccas.

Bats from Borneo are a bit tricky to place into a subspecies. Some of them have slightly longer skulls. Also, some H. a. ater and H. a. antricola bats sometimes have smaller teeth.

What They Look Like

The dusky leaf-nosed bat is a very small bat. It has large, wide, and round eyes. Its fur is long and soft. The top part of its body is grey-brown or grey, but sometimes it can be orange. Its nose is square-shaped and fairly simple. The shape of its nose is similar to the H. cineraceus bat. However, its color is more like the H. pomona bat.

Bats of this species from India and Catanduanes have 32 chromosomes. This is the same number as many other Hipposideros species.

The table below shows the sizes of H. ater bats found in different areas: