Old World Leaf-Nosed Bats: Hipposideridae

Also called roundleaf bats, Old World leaf-nosed bats vary greatly in size. They have a combined head and body length that ranges from 1.1 to 4.3 inches (2.8 to 11 centimeters). One species, Commerson's leaf-nosed bat, is one of the largest insect-eating bats of all the microchiroptera (my-kro-keer-OPter-ah; one of two bat categories that includes most of the bats in the world), with a wingspan of about 2 feet (0.6 meters). These bats are closely related to and share many of the features of horseshoe bats. They have a fleshy fold of skin around their nostrils called a noseleaf, which is leaf-like in appearance. The lower part of the noseleaf is shaped like a horseshoe or U-shape, with leaf-like flaps of skin above that protrude outwards.

The ears of these bats vary in size. They do not have a tragus (TRAY-gus), a flap of skin in front of the ear opening, which is common in many bats. These bats have only two bones in each toe. Their tail length ranges from nothing to approximately 2.4 inches (6 centimeters). Fur color ranges widely among the species, from reddish and yellowish to brown and cream. In several species, males and females have different fur colors, as well as different body and noseleaf sizes.