Allen's yellow bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Allen's yellow bat |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Baeodon
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| Species: |
alleni
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The Allen's yellow bat (Baeodon alleni) is a small type of vesper bat. It is a unique bat that lives only in Mexico. Scientists sometimes discuss if its scientific name, Baeodon, should be a main group (genus) or a smaller group (subgenus) within another bat family.
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Discovering the Allen's Yellow Bat
This bat was first described as a new species in 1892. A British scientist named Oldfield Thomas gave it its scientific name. He named it "alleni" after Harrison Allen, who was a very important expert on bats in North America.
Later, in 1906, another scientist named Gerrit Smith Miller Jr. put the Allen's yellow bat into its own new group called Baeodon. Today, some scientists still think Baeodon is a smaller group within the Rhogeessa bat family. However, others believe it is special enough to be its own main group (genus).
What Does It Look Like?
The Allen's yellow bat is a very small bat. It usually weighs about 5.8 to 8 grams, which is less than a pencil!
- It has large ears.
- Inside its ears, there are long, rounded parts called tragi.
- The back edges of its wings are white.
- Its head and body are about 47 millimeters (less than 2 inches) long.
- Its tail is about 41 millimeters long.
- The bones in its forearm are about 35 millimeters long.
- This bat has 30 teeth in total.
Where Does It Live?
This bat lives only in Mexico. You can find it in several states in the southwest part of the country.
It lives in different types of forests and dry areas, such as:
- Tropical forests where trees lose their leaves.
- Forests with thorny plants.
- Dry shrublands.
Most of the time, these bats are found in places that are higher up, usually more than 1,000 meters (about 3,280 feet) above sea level.
Conservation Status
The Allen's yellow bat is currently listed as "least concern" by the IUCN. This means it is not in immediate danger of disappearing. However, scientists don't see this bat very often. It is considered rare or uncommon in the places where it lives.
