Heller's broad-nosed bat

Heller's broad-nosed bat (Platyrrhinus helleri) is a small fruit bat of the family Phyllostomidae that lives in Central and South America, from Oaxaca and Veracruz in southern Mexico through Central America to western and northern Colombia, north-western and northern Venezuela and western Ecuador. It inhabits evergreen and semideciduous forest, forest edges and fruit groves in the lowlands up to about 1,500 metres. The head and body measure 55 to 65 millimetres, the forearm 37 to 41 millimetres, and the weight is 11 to 21 grams. The fur is pale to dark brown with a narrow white stripe from the crown to the rump and broad white stripes on the face. It is strongly frugivorous and a specialist on figs, but it also takes pollen, nectar and insects. It roosts in small groups in caves, buildings, tunnels and foliage, building tents, and is probably preyed on by snakes, birds of prey, arboreal mammals and other bats. It is fairly common and classed as Least Concern.