This bat’s nose shows it’s a member of the family Phyllostomidae, commonly known as leaf-nosed bats. They’re found all throughout South America, up through the Southwest of North America.
These guys echolocate through their noses instead of their mouths. It’s not known exactly how, but it’s suspected their nose shape is an adaptation to aid this process.
That’s wild. I guessed at the purpose since they hang upside down and it looks like it would protect their breathing tubes from drowning in their sleep, but I wasn’t even close!
Does anyone know why their noses evolved to look like this? Is it to channel dripping rainwater around their nostrils?
This bat’s nose shows it’s a member of the family Phyllostomidae, commonly known as leaf-nosed bats. They’re found all throughout South America, up through the Southwest of North America.
These guys echolocate through their noses instead of their mouths. It’s not known exactly how, but it’s suspected their nose shape is an adaptation to aid this process.
That’s wild. I guessed at the purpose since they hang upside down and it looks like it would protect their breathing tubes from drowning in their sleep, but I wasn’t even close!
Because it’s an ear. Kind of.