Hipposideridae (Sub-family of Chiroptera)

Hipposideridae, from Greek ἵππος (híppos, “horse”) and Greek σῐ́δηρος (sídēros, “iron, iron tool”), means “horseshoe”, in reference to the fact that the snout of the members of this family have a horseshoe appearance.

Common names of members

Old World leaf-nosed bats, horseshoe bats, trident-nosed bats, roundleaf bats.

Distribution

Found in the Neotropics, Afrotropics, southern Asia, Australia and South Pacific islands.

Size

They reach a body length of 3 to 11 cm and a weight of 3 to 110 grams

Morphology

They are mainly characterized by the shape of their snout. The nasal leaf consists of a horseshoe-shaped protuberance in front and a vertical leaf behind it, which in many species is divided into three and resembles a trident. This structure, like most bats that emit ultrasonic calls through their noses, is used to emit or amplify ultrasonic sounds needed for echolocation. In many species, males have a sac-shaped gland behind the nasal leaf that secretes a waxy secretion. The coat color varies from reddish-orange to brown and grayish black; in some species the sexes differ in terms of coat color or nose leaf shape.

Habitat & Ecology

Rainforests, shrublands, savannahs and other tropical environments. Caves, rock crevices, buildings, tree hollows or burrows of other animals such as porcupines serve as roosting places.

Diet

Their diet consists almost exclusively of insects, such as beetles, termites or cockroaches.

Reproduction

Most bat species are polygynous, where one male mates with multiple females, but there are polygynandry systems too, where multiple males mate with multiple females. Females are responsible for most of the parenting care. Males responsible for feeding and protecting young. Newborn bats cannot fly so they stay in the dwell or climb on their mothers. Usually they can fly after 2-4 weeks.