Dusky Leaf-nosed Bat
Scientific name: Hipposideros ater
Click to enlarge image
GBB-30912.tif
Image: G B Baker
© Australian Museum
© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
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Classification
- Genus
- Hipposideros
- Species
- ater
- Family
- Hipposideridae
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Subclass
- Eutheria
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
Introduction
Dusky Leaf-nosed Bats groom themselves thoroughly. They use their thumb claw to clean their ears, face, mouth and nose, their foot claw to comb the fur on their back and belly, and their tongue to clean their wings.
Habitat
Dusky Leaf-nosed Bats roost in dark and warm caves, old mines and under piles of rocks. They often share roosts with other microbat species.
Distribution
Distribution data sourced from the Atlas of Living Australia
Feeding and diet
These very small bats feed on small flying insects, often hunting in groups. Dusky Leaf-nosed Bats feed quickly and then return to their roost to rest and digest their food.
Economic impacts
Dusky Leaf-nosed Bats are vulnerable to disturbance from human visitors to cave roosts, destruction of caves by mining, and loss of feeding habitat by clearing and land degradation from agriculture.
