Tube-lipped Nectar Bat
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| iTube-lipped Nectar Bat | ||||||||||||||
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| Anoura fistulata Muchhala, 2005 |
The Tube-lipped Nectar Bat (Anoura fistulata) is a bat from Ecuador which was first described in 2005.[1] The bat has the longest tongue (8.5 cm) relative to its body size of any mammal; its tongue is 150% the size of its overall body length.
Despite its exceptionally long tongue, the tube-lipped nectar bat has a varied diet that includes nectar, pollen and insects. This arrangement is possible due to its short jaw; the base of the tongue is in the bat's rib cage.[2] One plant, Centropogon nigricans with its 8-9 cm-long corollas, is pollinated exclusively by this bat.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Muchhala, Nathan, Patricio Mena, and Luis Albuja (2005). "A NEW SPECIES OF ANOURA (CHIROPTERA: PHYLLOSTOMIDAE) FROM THE ECUADORIAN ANDES" (PDF, Reprint). Journal of Mammalogy 86 (3): 457-461. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
- ^ Bryner, Jeanna. Bat found to have longest licker. MSNBC. Retrieved on 2006-12-07.
[edit] External links
- BAT WITH RECORD-BREAKING TONGUE LENGTH POLLINATES HIGHLY SPECIALIZED FLOWER. Nathan Muchhala, Department of Biology, University of Miami
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