Benito roundleaf bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Benito roundleaf bat |
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| Conservation status | |
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Hipposideros
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| Species: |
beatus
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| Benito roundleaf bat range | |
The Benito roundleaf bat (Hipposideros beatus) is a type of bat that lives in the forests of Central and West Africa. It belongs to a group of bats called Hipposideridae, known for their unique nose leaves. You can find these bats in countries like Cameroon, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, and Togo. They prefer to live in warm, wet lowland forests.
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About Its Name and Discovery
Scientists first officially described the Benito roundleaf bat as a new species in 1906. A Danish scientist named Knud Andersen gave it its scientific name. The first example of this bat, called a holotype, was found near the Benito River. An American naturalist named George Latimer Bates collected it. There are two main types, or subspecies, of this bat: H. b. beatus and H. b. maximus.
What It Looks Like
The Benito roundleaf bat has soft, fluffy, dark brown fur. Its ears are quite short for a roundleaf bat, measuring about 12 to 16 millimeters (0.47 to 0.63 inches) long. These bats are small and light, weighing between 6 and 9.5 grams (0.21 to 0.34 ounces). Their forearms, which are part of their wings, are about 39 to 48 millimeters (1.5 to 1.9 inches) long.
Life and Habits
These bats usually have one breeding season each year. Mating happens in June and July, which is near the end of the first wet season. Female bats then give birth in October and November, during the middle of the second wet season. Each time, a female bat typically has only one baby.
Where It Lives
The Benito roundleaf bat lives in several countries across Africa, mostly in the central part of the continent.
- Cameroon
- Republic of the Congo
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Liberia
- Nigeria
- Sierra Leone
- Sudan
- Togo
These bats are found in forests at elevations up to 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) above sea level. They prefer warm, moist lowland forests.
Conservation Status
As of 2017, the Benito roundleaf bat is considered a least-concern species by the IUCN. This means that experts believe it is not currently at risk of extinction.
