Wrinkle-faced bat is a flying mammal known for the deeply wrinkled texture of its face. The flaps and folds of naked skin on the bat’s face are so deep that it can be difficult to locate the animal’s tiny nose. Male wrinkle-faced bats have more wrinkles on their face than females. Compared to other bats, the wrinkle-faced bat has a wide, flat, hairless face with large eyes. Wrinkle-faced bats live mostly in the dense forests of southern Mexico and Central and South America.
The body of the wrinkle-faced bat is covered in fur that ranges from shades of brown to gray. The animal has a “beard” of white fur around its chin. Males also have a skin mask, extra folds of skin on the chin that can be pulled over the face and ears while resting. Some areas of this mask are thin enough for the bats to see through, enabling them to detect light and movement while roosting. Male wrinkle-faced bats have special glands located under the chin that produce scent used to attract females. Some of the wrinkle-faced bat’s facial features probably help focus sound for use in echolocation. In echolocation, a bat makes high-pitched sounds and listens for the echoes to collect information about its surroundings. Bats use echolocation to hunt prey and avoid obstacles while flying in darkness.
The wrinkle-faced bat is a tiny creature, measuring up to 2 ¾ inches (7 centimeters) in length. An adult wrinkle-faced bat weighs around 0.6 ounce (17 grams). Female wrinkle-faced bats usually give birth to a single young once a year. During pregnancy, females share a roost with the males, usually in a tree.
Like most bats, the wrinkle-faced bat is nocturnal—that is, it is active at night, usually emerging to hunt for food after dusk. During the day, males and females roost separately during nonreproductive months, usually under the leaves of a tree. Females roost in dense clusters. Males roost alone or in small groups of two to three.
The diet of the wrinkle-faced bat consists entirely of fruit. These bats prefer overripe fruits such as bananas and mangos. Adults have 28 teeth they use to bite into the soft mushy fruit and suck out the juices. The bats have a powerful bite, which enables them to consume tougher fruit when soft fruits are scarce. Both males and females have small, fleshy pouches in their mouths for carrying and storing fruit. Although it is a fruit-eater, this bat is not classified as a fruit bat (also known as a flying fox). The wrinkle-faced bat is in the leaf-nosed bat family Phyllostomidae, although it does not have a leaf-shaped nose.
