Toltec fruit-eating bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Toltec fruit-eating bat |
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| Genus: |
Dermanura
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| Species: |
tolteca
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| Toltec fruit-eating bat range | |
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The Toltec fruit-eating bat (Dermanura tolteca) is a small bat that lives in parts of Central and South America. It belongs to the bat family called Phyllostomidae. Sometimes, people also call it the "lowland fruit eating bat."
Contents
About the Toltec Fruit-Eating Bat
What Does It Look Like?
The Toltec fruit-eating bat is a small bat, usually weighing less than 16 grams. That's about as much as a few quarters! The largest types of this bat are found in certain areas.
Its fur color can change depending on where it lives. Bats in northern areas might have light brown fur. Those living in Costa Rica can have darker, almost black fur. Bats found in drier places usually have lighter fur. One special type of this bat has white edges on its ears and clear stripes under its eyes.
Where Do These Bats Live?
You can find Toltec fruit-eating bats in many places. They live along the eastern and western coasts of Mexico. Their home range stretches south through Central American countries like Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama.
Some types of these bats live in mountain ranges at middle heights. Other types are found in the Caribbean at elevations from 300 to 1,750 meters. Still others live at lower elevations in Colombia and northwest Ecuador.
What Do They Eat?
The Toltec fruit-eating bat loves to eat fruit! It is a frugivore, which means its diet is mostly fruits. They especially enjoy fruits from plants like Constegia volcanalis, Cecropia, and different kinds of figs.
How Do They Behave?
These bats often rest in caves or under large banana leaves during the day. But they are also known for something very cool: they build "tents" out of plant leaves! They use leaves from plants like Anthurium species.
To make a tent, the bat carefully cuts the main vein of a single leaf with its teeth. It makes sure not to hurt the middle vein, so the leaf stays alive. This clever trick makes the leaf fold down into a pyramid shape, creating a perfect tent. These leaf tents give the bats a safe, hidden place to rest during the day, protecting them from weather and other animals.
Conservation Status
The Toltec fruit-eating bat is doing well! The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) has classified this species as Least Concern. This means that there are plenty of these bats around, and they are not currently at risk of disappearing.
