Old man's face

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Old man's face
Centurio senex.jpg

Old man's face ( Centurio senex )

Systematics
Order : Bats (chiroptera)
Superfamily : Hare's mouths (Noctilionoidea)
Family : Leaf noses (Phyllostomidae)
Subfamily : Fruit vampires (Stenodermatinae)
Genre : Centurion
Type : Old man's face
Scientific name of the  genus
Centurion
JE Gray , 1842
Scientific name of the  species
Centurion senex
JE Gray, 1842

The old man's face ( Centurio senex ) is the only species of the bat genus Centurio from the group of fruit vampires (Stenodermatinae) within the leaf noses (Phyllostomidae).

description

These bats get their name from the unique shape of their head. The face is broad and hairless, numerous skin folds that frame the nose and mouth above all give the animals an aged look. A white, beard-like hair on the neck reinforces this impression, while the rest of the fur is brown or gray in color. It is also characterized by white spots on the shoulders and white horizontal stripes on the flight membranes , which are more pronounced in males. Old man's faces do not have a nosepiece, the nose is even extremely small, but the eyes are relatively large. The ears are elongated and yellow in color. Old man's faces reach a head body length of 55 to 70 millimeters and a weight of 17 to 28 grams.

distribution and habitat

Old man's faces live in Central and Northern South America , their area of ​​distribution extends from Mexico to Venezuela and also includes the islands of Trinidad and Tobago . Their habitat is primarily forests, both rain and dry forests, mostly at altitudes below 1000 meters.

Way of life

These bats are nocturnal, especially between dusk and midnight they go looking for food. During the day they rest alone or in small groups of two to three animals under the leaves of the trees. These groups are separated by sex outside of the mating season. The food of the old man's faces consists exclusively of fruits, whereby they prefer overripe mangoes , bananas and papau .

Reproduction

With the secretion of scent glands under their chin, the males try to attract the females. After mating, which can take place between January and August, the partners often rest together under one leaf. As with most bats, a single hatchling is usually born. Otherwise, little is known about reproduction.

threat

Old man's faces are considered to be rather rare animals, although they are not endangered species.

swell

  1. ^ Centurio senex in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species

literature

  • Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0-8018-5789-9

Web links

Commons : Greisengesicht ( Centurio senex )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files