Bumblebee Bat

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iKitti's Hog-nosed Bat

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Craseonycteridae
Genus:	Craseonycteris
Species:	C. thonglongyai

Binomial name

Craseonycteris thonglongyai
Hill, 1974

The Bumblebee Bat, or perhaps more correctly Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat, (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) is the world's smallest species of bat and the smallest mammal in the world at 30-40 mm in length and weighing approximately 2 grams (about the weight of a Canadian or U.S. dime). It is the only known species in its genus and is found in a tiny region of western Thailand, in the Sai Yok National Park, Kanchanaburi Province. Recently, it has also been discovered in adjacent Myanmar.

The skull of the Bumblebee Bat, at 11 mm, is smaller than that of any other mammal. The "Bumblebee" appellation derives from the bats' comparative size to the insect it is named after. Bumblebee bats compete with the Etruscan Pygmy Shrew for the title of world's smallest mammal. At issue is whether skull size or mass defines "smallest"; the shrew is lighter but the bat's skull is shorter at 11 mm.

The Bumblebee Bat has reddish-brown upperparts, although the species seems to occur as another color phase that has greyer upperparts. The underside is always a paler version of the top. The ears are relatively large and extend beyond the rather pig-like snout when lying forward.

They are most active at dusk when they fly around the tops of bamboo clumps and teak trees to feed on insects. The wings are quite long and broad with pointed tips and dark membrane. They seem to be shaped for hovering flight and indeed gut contents of specimens do include spiders as well as small insects that have been gleaned off foliage. The bumblebee bat also catches insects in flight.

Bumblebee Bats roost in the hot upper chambers of caves in limestone hills, just about as far away from the entrance as possible so that the small colony — up to 15 individuals — can fit without the bats being too close to each other.

Bumblebee bats are small both in size and in number and were unknown to the world at large prior to 1974. They were first located in 1973 by Thai biologist Kitti Thonglongya, who sent a few specimens to his British colleague, John E. Hill. When Kitti Thonglongya died suddenly in February 1974, John Hill described the species and named it in honor of its discoverer. Their already restricted habitat has been highly affected by deforestation and unsustainable levels of teak logging. In 1982, the Royal Forest Department of the Thailand Government only found 160 of them living in 3 caves, despite extensive surveys. Bumblebee bats are now considered to be one of the twelve most endangered species on the planet.

The Bumblebee Bat's wingspan can be up to 17cm.

[edit] References

Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996). Craseonycteris thonglongyai. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Listed as Endangered (EN B1+2c, C2b v2.3)