Orbiculus roundleaf bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Orbiculus leaf-nosed bat |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Hipposideridae |
| Genus: | Hipposideros |
| Species: |
H. orbiculus
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| Binomial name | |
| Hipposideros orbiculus Francis, Kock & Habersetzer, 1999
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| Range map 2011 | |
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The orbiculus leaf-nosed bat (Hipposideros orbiculus) is a special kind of bat. It is also known as the orbiculus roundleaf bat or small disc roundleaf bat. This bat belongs to the Hipposideridae family, which are often called "roundleaf bats" because of their unique nose shapes.
You can find this bat in parts of Southeast Asia. It lives on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. It also lives in peninsular Malaysia.
Contents
About the Orbiculus Leaf-Nosed Bat
When Was It Discovered?
Scientists officially described the orbiculus leaf-nosed bat as a new species in 1999. The very first one studied was found in a place called Abai Siat. This area is in Sumatra, Indonesia.
How Is It Different from Other Bats?
The orbiculus leaf-nosed bat is a "cryptic species." This means it looks very much like another bat, the Ridley's leaf-nosed bat. Even though they look alike, they are different species.
Scientists can tell them apart by listening to their echolocation calls. Bats use echolocation to find their way around and hunt. They send out sound waves and listen for the echoes. The sounds these two bat species make are different. Their call frequencies differ by 19 kilohertz (kHz). This small difference helps scientists know which bat is which.
What Does It Look Like?
The orbiculus leaf-nosed bat is a medium-sized bat.
- Its forearm is about 46 to 48 millimeters (about 1.8 to 1.9 inches) long.
- Its tail measures about 26 to 34 millimeters (about 1 to 1.3 inches) long.
- Its ears are about 20 to 23 millimeters (about 0.8 to 0.9 inches) long.
This bat uses echolocation to navigate in the dark. It sends out high-pitched sounds, usually around 80 kHz. These sounds bounce off objects, creating echoes that the bat hears. This helps it build a sound-picture of its surroundings.
Where Does It Live and What Is Its Status?
Where Can You Find Them?
The orbiculus leaf-nosed bat has been found in a few specific places.
- In West Sumatra, Indonesia.
- Near Rawang, Selangor in Malaysia.
- In the Sungkai Wildlife Forest Reserve, also in Malaysia.
Why Is It a Vulnerable Species?
As of 2015, the orbiculus leaf-nosed bat is listed as a vulnerable species by the IUCN Red List. This means it faces a high risk of becoming endangered in the wild.
It was once listed as an endangered species, which is an even higher risk. But scientists re-evaluated its status. They found that the area where it lives is about 20,345 square kilometers (about 7,855 square miles).
The main reasons this bat is vulnerable are:
- It lives in a small area.
- Its habitat is shrinking and getting worse.
What Kind of Home Does It Like?
The orbiculus leaf-nosed bat lives on land. It prefers lowland rainforests. These are forests that are not very high up and get a lot of rain.
Why Is Its Home Disappearing?
Sadly, the bat's rainforest home is being damaged. This is happening because of several human activities:
- Logging: Trees are being cut down.
- Agriculture: Forests are cleared to make farms.
- Infrastructure Development: Roads and buildings are being built.
- Plantations: Large areas are being converted into plantations for crops like palm oil.
- Forest Fires: Fires destroy large parts of the forest.
All these activities reduce the amount and quality of the forest where these bats live. This makes it harder for them to survive.
 | Valerie Thomas |
 | Frederick McKinley Jones |
 | George Edward Alcorn Jr. |
 | Thomas Mensah |
