Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat

Fascinating facts about the Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat

• The specific epithet phaeotis derives from the Greek word phaios, meaning dusky, a direct reference to the bat's colouration. Its fur is described as uniform dark brown or pale grayish-brown, reaching to the base of the forearms. This dusky hue gives the species its characteristic appearance, linking its name to its physical traits. The naming therefore highlights the bat's distinctive grey-brown coat.
• Pygmy fruit-eating bats have been recorded at elevations as high as 1200 m, although such high-altitude sightings are uncommon. They are far more frequently encountered in lower-lying forests across their range. The species inhabits the southern parts of North America and northern South America, spanning countries from Mexico to Brazil. Their distribution therefore includes both high-altitude outliers and extensive lowland habitats.
• During daylight hours these bats modify leaves to create tent-like roosts, providing shelter beneath the foliage. They are nocturnal, leaving their leaf tents at night to forage for fruit, pollen and insects.
• Adult pygmy fruit-eating bats measure only 51 to 60 mm in length and weigh between 8 and 15 g.
• The species reproduces seasonally, with females carrying embryos for a gestation of 112 to 120 days, which can be prolonged if dormancy occurs during pregnancy.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat

In the warm, humid twilight of the tropical forest, the Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat stirs, its delicate wings unfolding like a whisper as it takes to the air, navigating the dense canopy with an effortless ease that belies its tiny stature. As it flits from branch to branch, its large, round eyes shining like dark jewels in the fading light, the bat's gentle, high-pitched calls weave a subtle melody through the evening air, a symphony of sound that echoes the rustle of leaves and the sweet scent of ripening fruit. With each delicate, flickering beat of its wings, the Pygmy Fruit-eating Bat embodies the very essence of its lush, vibrant world, a tiny, iridescent thread in the intricate tapestry of the tropical night.

More mammals to discover

Browse Feravox