Antilles chin-leaf bat
| Antilles chin-leaf bat | ||||||||||||
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Antilles chin-leaf bat ( Mormoops blainvillei ) |
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| Mormoops blainvillei | ||||||||||||
| ( Leach , 1821) |
The Antilles chin-leaf bat ( Mormoops blainvillei ) is a species of bat from the family of chin-leaf bats (Mormoops) which is native to the Greater Antilles . Mormoops blainvillii is an incorrect but often used alternative spelling.
description
With a forearm length of 44 to 49 mm and an average weight of 8.6 g, the Antilles chin-leaf bat is the smaller of the two species of the genus Mormoops . In Mormoops blainvillei , the connection between the ears is less noticeable than in its sister species Mormoops megalophylla . The lobed growths on the face are striking in both species. Both Mormoops blainvillei and M. megalophylla have an unusual skull shape with the snout bent upwards. The forehead and muzzle form an angle of almost 90 °. The fur is reddish to cinnamon-colored, with a hair length of 6 to 11 mm.
Way of life
Like most bats, the Antilles jaw-leaf bat is nocturnal and feeds on insects, with butterflies being preferred for prey. During the day the animals hang in colonies of up to 15,000 individuals in caves. After dark, the species flies out relatively late, probably overlapping with the main activity time of its preferred prey, the moth. When hunting, the animals form a pocket with their tail- skin, with which they shovel the insects into their mouths in flight. During the night, the animals keep returning to their den between their foraging flights. The Antilles chin-leaf bat is monoestrous and only gives birth to one young animal per year. The mating season takes place in January and February, the birth in June. In August and September, the young are weaned from their mother.
distribution and habitat
The Antilles chin-leaf bat occurs in the Greater Antilles . The IUCN estimates the species as safe thanks to its wide distribution and the presumably large populations.
literature
- WC Lancaster, EKV Kalko (1996): Mormoops blainvillii. In: Mammalian Species . No. 544, pp. 1-5.
