Banana Bat
Name
Banana Bat (
Neoromicia nanus)
Appearance
The Banana Bat is a tiny bat which is 77 mm long and weighs 4.0 grams. The dense fur on the back can be various shades of brown, whereas the undersides are always of a lighter shade than the dorsal colouration. Individual hairs are black at their bases.
There are various other species of vesper bats with similar external appearances, but the banana bat has unique dental features which distinguish it from the others.
Diet
The diet of the Banana Bat is restricted to small soft-bodied insects such as gnats and mosquitoes.
Breeding
Females give birth during early summer. Most often twins will be born.
Behaviour
Members of this species are the first bats to emerge at dusk, and are to be seen flitting and darting after small insects in the open spaces between trees. Small groups are easily found by the day ,hiding in the rolled-up new terminal leaves of banana plants. Such groups will also roost in thatched roofs, amongst bunches of fruit, or in dense accumulations of debris.
Where Banana Bat Are Found
Banana Bats can be found in well-drained wooded areas, from the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Northern Province, adjoining countries, and northwards throughout Africa as far as the Ivory Coast.
Field Notes
Banana bats do not feed on bananas but instead get their name from their habit of roosting in the leaves of banana trees. They also roost in Strelizia plants and in thatched roofs of buildings.
