Actual lance noses
| Actual lance noses | ||||||||||||
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Little lance nose ( Phyllostomus discolor ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Phyllostomus | ||||||||||||
| Lacépède , 1799 |
The actual lance noses ( Phyllostomus ) are a species of bat from the subfamily of the lance noses (Phyllostominae).
There are four types:
- The large lance nose ( Phyllostomus hastatus ) is the largest representative of this genus and is distributed from Guatemala to southeast Brazil .
- The small lance nose ( Phyllostomus discolor ) is native from Mexico to Argentina .
- Phyllostomus elongatus is also one of the smaller species and lives in South America east of the Andes .
- Phyllostomus latifolius occurs in northern South America ( Colombia , Guyana , French Guiana and northern Brazil).
The individual species differ considerably in their size: while the large lance nose with a head body length of 10 to 13 centimeters, a wingspan of 45 centimeters and a weight of up to 140 grams is one of the largest bats on the American continent , the small lance nose only reaches 55 to 65 millimeters in length and a weight of 20 to 40 grams. The fur of these animals is usually brown or gray-brown in color. The hallmarks are the large, slightly forward sloping nasal blade, the widely spaced ears and the heavily built skull.
These bats are common from southern Mexico to northern Argentina . Their habitat includes both forests and dry grasslands. During the day they sleep, sometimes in groups of thousands of animals, in caves, hollow tree trunks or buildings, at night they go in search of food. They are omnivores that eat small vertebrates and insects as well as fruits and nectar.
Actual lance noses live in harem groups, one male gathers up to 30 females, the remaining males live together in bachelor groups. There are often fights in which the harem leader tries to defend his position against other males. The females are unaffected by any change of male, groups of females are often stable and the animals stay together for years.
The females in a group give birth to their young, usually one, almost simultaneously. These are independent at two months and leave their parents' group after several months in order to join forces in new units.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999 ISBN 0801857899
