| Lesser long-tongued bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Choeroniscus |
| Species: | C. minor |
| Binomial name | |
| Choeroniscus minor Peters, 1868 | |
 | |
| Lesser long-tongued bat range | |
| Synonyms | |
C. intermedius(J.A. Allen & Chapman, 1893) | |
Thelesser long-tongued bat (Choeroniscus minor),[2] also called thelesser long-tailed bat,[1] is abatspecies fromSouth America.
Relatively small among bats, members of this species have a total length of 6 to 7 centimetres (2.4 to 2.8 in), a forearm around 3.5 centimetres (1.4 in) long, and weigh from 7 to 12 grams (0.25 to 0.42 oz); females are slightly larger than males. The tail is 6 to 9 millimetres (0.24 to 0.35 in) long, with the first half being embedded within theuropatagium, which is also partially supported by well developedcalcars. The body is covered with thick hair that is dark brown to almost black in colour.[3]
As the common name for the species suggests, the muzzle is slender and elongated, although not unusually so amongglossophagine bats, and is tipped with a triangularnose-leaf. The ears are rounded, with curved folds along either edge, and a largetragus. The tongue is remarkably long, and can be extended even when the bat's jaws are closed, because of a wide gap between the front teeth, reaching up to 50% of the animal's entire body length.[3] The tip of the tongue bears a small patch of bristles, which presumably helps the bat lap upnectar.[3] The teeth are somewhat variable in form, but only thecanines are prominent, with all the remaining teeth being small and delicate.[4]
The lesser long-tongued bat inhabitstropical rainforest environments from theAmazon Basin inBrazil, north to theGuianas,Colombia,Venezuela andTrinidad, and west toEcuador,Peru and northernBolivia. It prefers lowland habitats andmontane forest up to 1,300 metres (4,300 ft).[1]
The lesser long-tongued bat isnocturnal and feeds mainly on nectar andpollen, which it can extract from flowers using its long tongue and narrow snout, but it does also eat small quantities of insects. During the day, they roost alone or in small groups, sheltering beneath logs or in hollow trees no more than 70 centimetres (28 in) above the ground.[3] Little else is known about their biology or habits.
