Tomes's sword-nosed bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Tomes's sword-nosed bat |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Lonchorhina
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| Species: |
aurita
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The Tomes's sword-nosed bat (Lonchorhina aurita) is a cool type of bat. People also call it the common sword-nosed bat. These bats mostly live in South and Central America. They have also been seen in the Bahamas, but only one bat was found there a long time ago.
In 2006, something exciting happened! Scientists Aideé Vargas and Kathrin Barboza Marquez found this bat again in Bolivia. People thought the bat had disappeared from Bolivia for 72 years. Now, there is a special place called an Ecological Sanctuary in San Juan de Corralito to help protect these bats.
Contents
What Does This Bat Look Like?
This bat has some unique features!
- Its ears are long and have very sharp tips.
- It has a big nose-leaf on its face, which can be up to 20 mm (0.79 in) long.
- Its fur is dark brown or black.
- The skin on its wings, called patagia, is black.
- Its forearm (part of its wing) is about 47–57 mm (1.9–2.2 in) long.
- These bats are quite light, weighing between 10–22 g (0.35–0.78 oz).
- They have 34 teeth in total.
Bat Life and Habits
Tomes's sword-nosed bats mostly eat insects. This means they are insect-eaters! But one time, a bat was seen eating fruit.
These bats are nocturnal. This means they are active at night. During the day, they like to rest in safe, sheltered spots. They often choose places like caves or culverts (tunnels under roads).
They live together in groups called colonies. A colony can have anywhere from 10 to 500 bats! Sometimes, they even share their resting spots with other kinds of bats.
Where Do These Bats Live?
You can find Tomes's sword-nosed bats in many countries across Central and South America. These include:
- Belize
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- French Guiana
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
- Panama
- Peru
- Suriname
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Venezuela
They live in both low-lying areas and in places as high as 1,500 m (4,900 ft) above sea level.
How Are We Protecting Them?
Good news! As of 2015, the IUCN (a big group that checks on animals) says that Tomes's sword-nosed bat is a least-concern species. This means they are not currently in danger of disappearing. People are working to make sure they stay safe!
