Old World Leaf-Nosed Bats: Hipposideridae

There is little information on the behavior and reproduction habits of many Old World leaf-nosed bat species. Most roost in groups that range widely in size: from about twelve to groups of hundreds, to approximately 5,000. Some species appear to roost singly. The primary roosting sites of these bats are caves and tunnels, yet many roost in tree hollows and buildings.

Old World leaf-nosed bats are nocturnal, or active at night, as are all bats. When they emerge from their roosts at night, they use echolocation (eck-oh-loh-KAY-shun) to forage, search, for food. Echolocation is the process of detecting objects by sending out sounds and listening to the sounds that bounce back from the objects. Old World leaf-nosed bats fly with their mouth closed and send out sounds through their nose, as opposed to most bats that use their mouths. These bats can send out sound in one frequency and listen to the sounds bounced back on another frequency.

Observations show they catch their prey in flight. Many hunt close to the ground, such as the Old World leaf-nosed bat of the Congo.

These bats mate during the fall and females do not become fertilized until the following year. Females generally give birth to a single offspring each year. When the offspring become independent and sexually mature depends upon the species and where they live.