Kitti's hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), also known as the bumblebee bat or hog-nosed bat, is a near-threatened species of bat and the only extant member of the family Craseonycteridae. It occurs in western Thailand and southeast Myanmar, where it occupies limestone caves along rivers.
Kitti's hog-nosed bat is the smallest species of bat and arguably the world's smallest mammal by body length (the Etruscan shrew is regarded as the smallest by body mass). It has a reddish-brown or grey coat, with a distinctive pig-like snout. Colonies range greatly in size, with an average of 100 individuals per cave. The bat feeds during short activity periods in the evening and dawn, foraging around nearby forest areas for insects. Females give birth annually to a single offspring.
Although the bat's status in Myanmar is not well known, the Thai population is restricted to a single province and may be at risk of extinction. Its potential threats are primarily anthropogenic, and include habitat degradation and the disturbance of roosting sites. It is the smallest bat species and potentially the world's smallest mammal by body length, though this distinction depends on the measurement criteria used. The main competitors for the title are small shrews; in particular, the Etruscan shrew may be lighter at but its body is longer, measuring from its head to the base of the tail.
thumb|240px|left|Close-up, showing the bat's snout.
The bat has a distinctive swollen, pig-like snout Its ears are relatively large, while its eyes are small and mostly concealed by fur. In the jaw, the premaxillae are not fused with surrounding bones, and the coronoid process is significantly reduced. Its teeth are typical of an insectivorous bat.
Range and habitat
Kitti's hog-nosed bat occupies limestone caves along rivers within dry evergreen or deciduous forests. While Sai Yok National Park in the Dawna Hills contains much of the bat's range, some Thai populations occur outside the park and are therefore unprotected. During this period, the bat forages within fields of cassava and kapok or around the tops of bamboo clumps and teak trees, within one kilometre of the roosting site.
In 2007, Kitti's hog-nosed bat was identified by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered <!-- (EDGE) --> project as one of its Top 10 "focal species".
See also
- Smallest organisms