Ridley's leaf-nosed bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ridley's leaf-nosed bat |
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| Conservation status | |
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Hipposideros
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| Species: |
ridleyi
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| Ridley's leaf-nosed bat range | |
The Ridley's leaf-nosed bat is a special kind of bat. It is also called the Ridley's roundleaf bat or Singapore roundleaf horseshoe bat. Its scientific name is Hipposideros ridleyi. This bat belongs to a family called Hipposideridae, which are known for their unique nose shapes.
You can find this bat in parts of Southeast Asia, like Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. It likes to live in warm, wet places such as tropical swamps and old-growth forests. Sadly, its home is shrinking, which means it is a vulnerable species.
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Discovering the Ridley's Bat
How Scientists Found It
Scientists Herbert Christopher Robinson and C. Boden Kloss first described the Ridley's leaf-nosed bat in 1911. This means they were the first to officially name and study it as a new species.
The first bat they studied was collected by an English botanist named Henry Nicholas Ridley. He found it in the Singapore Botanic Gardens in 1911. This first bat specimen is very important for studying the species.
What Does the Ridley's Bat Look Like?
Size and Special Features
The Ridley's leaf-nosed bat is a medium-sized bat. Its forearm, which is like the main bone in our arm, is about 47 to 51 mm (about 1.8 to 2 in) long.
One of its most interesting features is its very large and dark nose-leaf. This is a special skin flap on its nose. It covers most of its snout, which is like its muzzle or nose area. Unlike some other bats, this nose-leaf does not have smaller flaps on the sides. Scientists believe these nose-leaves help bats use echolocation to find their way around and hunt insects.
Where Does the Ridley's Bat Live?
Its Home and Current Status
The Ridley's leaf-nosed bat lives in Southeast Asia. It has been seen in Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. Scientists think it might also live in Indonesia.
These bats live in lowland old-growth forests. This means they prefer forests that have been around for a very long time and have not been cut down. They can be found from sea level up to about 500 m (about 1,640 ft) high.
As of 2020, the IUCN says the Ridley's leaf-nosed bat is a vulnerable species. This means it is at risk of becoming endangered because its natural habitat is being lost. Protecting these forests is very important to help these unique bats survive.
