Bumblebee Bat |} The Bumblebee Bat or perhaps more correctly Kitti's Hog-nosed Bat, (Craseonycteris thonglongyai) is the worlds smallest species of bat at 29-33 mm in length and a weight of 2 grams (about as much as a dime). It is the only known species in its genus and is found in a tiny region of western Thailand, at Sai Yoke in the Kanchanburi province. Bumblebee bat skull Bumblebee's skull The Bumblebee Bat is so-named because it is about the size of a bumblebee. It competes with the Etruscan Pygmy Shrew for the title of world's smallest mammal. At issue is whether skull size or mass defines "smallest"; the shrew is lighter but the bat's skull, shown left, is smaller at 11mm. The Bumblebee Bat has reddish-brown upperparts, although the species seems to occur as another colour phase that has greyer upperparts. The underside is always a paler version of the top. The ears are relatively large and extend beyond the rather pig-like snout when lying forward. They are most active at dusk when they fly around the tops of bamboo clumps and teak trees to feed on insects. The wings are quite long and broad with pointed tips and dark membrane. They seem to be shaped for hovering flight and indeed gut contents of specimens do include spiders as well as other small insects that have been gleaned off foliage. Insects are caught in straight flight also. Just hanging aroud Just hanging around. Bumblebee Bats roost in the hot upper chambers of caves in limestone hills, just about as far away from the entrance so that the small colony — up to 15 individuals — can fit without the bats being too close to each other. The bats are small both in size and in number. The species was unknown prior to 1974. Their already restricted habitat has been highly affected by deforestation and unsustainable levels of teak logging. In 1982, the Royal Forest Department of the Thailand Government only found 160 of them living in 3 caves, despite extensive surveys. Bumblebee bats are now considered one of the twelve most endangered species on the planet. External links For more information, see the Animal Diversity web page on the bumblebee. Historical record: bumble bee declared endangered Jan 1984. Stella Luna FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bumblebee_Bat