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Honduran White Bat | Daily Animal Facts

Animal profile

Honduran White Bat

Ectophylla alba

MammaliaLowland rainforest understorey with Heliconia plants, in Central America below about 700 metresNear Threatened

Field profile

The Honduran white bat is a tiny leaf-nosed bat with snow-white fur and bright yellow ears, nose and forearms. It weighs about five to six grams and feeds almost entirely on figs. It roosts in tents made by cutting the side veins of large Heliconia leaves.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2023-02-18

Honduran White Bat

This bat builds a tent from a single leaf

Honduran white bats bite through the side veins of a Heliconia leaf until the blade folds down into a tent. A small group shelters beneath it, and the green light filtering through turns their white fur the colour of the leaf.

Read with evidence →