A bumblebee bat weighs as much as a dime, at about 2 grams. Its length is about 29 to 33 millimeters. They have a wingspan of about millimeters. They are the smallest species of bats in the world. The current bumblebee bat population is at The natural predators of bumblebee bats are birds, snakes , squirrels, and cats.
They use echolocation to navigate their way around. Bumblebee bats have a brownish-red colored body, with a paler color on the underside. They do not have tails. Instead, they have a large web of skin attached to their hind legs, called uropatagium, to assist them when flying and catching insects.
Female bumblebee bats have two sets of nipples. One set is on her chest, and the other at her pubic area. However, the set of nipples at the pubic area is not fully developed. Male bumblebee bats have large swelling in the glands at the base of their throats. Bumblebee bats have curled toes and a tendon locking mechanism, which allows them to roost with ease. The nickname bumblebee bat came from its resemblance to the bumblebee in terms of size.
They have snouts, with thin vertical nostrils, which give them pig-like faces. Their ears are large, at 9 to These roosts of bats do not live close to each other; they usually spread out so that they are not touching each other. Bumblebee bats migrate seasonally between caves. Table of Contents. Bumblebee Bat Facts Infographics. Photo by Our Breathing Planet on Flickr. There is little information about the reproduction of the bumblebee bats.
The lifespan of bumblebee bats is 5 to 10 years. Very little is currently known about their reproduction. It is believed that they give birth to a single young at the end of April each year.
The Fact Site requires you to enable Javascript to browse our website. They have dark-colored wings with long tips that enable them to hover in the air. The Bumblebee Bat is named so, because of its similar size to a large bumblebee. The underside of the bat is a paler color while the wings and the membrane between the legs, called the uropatagium, are darker.
Hill and Smith, ; Nowak, Bumblebee bats have a few distinct characters. First, bumblebee bats do not have a tail even though they have two caudal vertebrae. Their uropatagium are rather large. Their noses are pig-like, with large nostrils separated by a wide septum. Finally they also have large ears that are 9 to The tragus is around half the size of the ears.
Females have 2 sets of nipples, one on the chest and the other in the pubic area. The nipples in the pubic area are thought to be vestigial or not fully developed. The males have a large swelling in the gland that is at the base of their throats. The wings of bumblebee bats are long and wide, making them well adapted for hovering.
They have thumbs that have claws. Their hindfoot is slender, narrow, and long. Nowak descirbed bumblebee bat skulls as small with a large inflated spherical braincase and lacking lambdoidal crests, postorbital processes, and supraoccipital ridges.
In both genders a sagittal crest, which is a bone that runs down the top middle of the skull, is visible. The zygomata, which is the arch in the cheek, is described as slender but complete Nowak Little is known about the mating systems of bumblebee bats. Nowak, Bumblebee bats have one offspring per year and breed once per year in late April to May.
However, little else is known about bumblebee bat reproduction. Hayssen, et al. While inside the cave offspring are usually found attached to the mother. While the mother is foraging the offspring is left alone. Kurta and Kunz, ; Nowak, Bumblebee bat lifespans are unknown but it is thought to be around 5 to 10 years based on the lifespans of other closely related bats. Ward, The behaviors of bumblebee bats are similar to species within the families Megadermatidae , Rhinopomatidae , Hipposideridae , and Rhinoolophidae.
Bumblebee bats are a motile species which are capable of long powered flights. Bumblebee bats are normally active around dusk and dawn. The duration of dawn activity averages around 18 minutes while at dusk the average time is 30 minutes. When bats are not flying they are thought to be in torpor to conserve energy. Typically, about individuals of this species will share the same cave. Despite this congregation, bumblebee bats are not social.
Mothers will roost alone in the nursery cave. Bumblebee bats only fly about 1 km from the cave to forage. They do not maintain or defend territories. Huston, Bumblebee bats use echolocation to navigate their environment. They use sounds of a high intensity and have a constant frequency lasting as long as 2 ms followed by a shallow downward sweep lasting a duration of 1 ms. The beginning of the call has an upward sweep. The bats have a base frequency of 35 kHz.
They also use two other harmonics. The second one is at 70 kHz and the third one, which is weaker, is at kHz. Nothing is known about how the bats communicate within their roosts.
Hill and Smith, ; Surlykke, et al. Insects are bumblebee bats main source of nutrition, but they also eat some spiders. They are aerial feeders, meaning they catch their prey while flying.
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