Diadem Leaf-nosed Bat
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© Australian Museum
Fast Facts
-
Classification
- Genus
- Hipposideros
- Species
- diadema
- Family
- Hipposideridae
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Subclass
- Eutheria
- Subphylum
- Vertebrata
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Kingdom
- Animalia
Introduction
Diadem Leaf-nosed Bats have large teeth to crunch through their hard prey and can give people a painful bite.
Habitat
Diadem Leaf-nosed Bats roost in warm humid caves, old mines, old sheds, hollow trees and even on tree branches. They often share with other species of microbats.
Distribution
Feeding and diet
Diadem Leaf-nosed Bats feed on insects including click and scarab beetles, weevils, moths, ants and plant bugs. They often wait hanging from a branch until an insect comes along then they fly at it and catch it, returning to the branch to eat it. They may catch more than one insect at a time and store them in their cheek pouches to eat later.
Economic impacts
Diadem Leaf-nosed Bats are vulnerable to disturbance from human visitors to cave roosts, destruction of caves by mining, and loss of feeding habitat by clearing and land degradation from agriculture.
