Big Lipped Bat Female Skull Replica measures 2.3 in. Big Lipped Bat Male Skull is 2.11 in. & museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Cast of an original California Academy of Sciences specimen. Species Hypsignathus monstrosus, Chiroptera.
The Big lipped bat it is a megabat widely distributed in equatorial Africa. This large bat is found in riverine forests, mangroves, swamps, and palm forests at elevations less than 5,900 ft.
Pelage is grey-brown to slaty-brown with a whitish collar of fur extending from shoulder to shoulder. The flight membranes are brown and the ears are dark brown with a tuft of white fur at the base. The face is dark brown with a few long, stiff whiskers around the mouth.
The Big Lipped Bat skull may be diagnosed by specific dental features. The second premolar and molars are markedly lobed. This feature is specific for this genus, and no other African fruit bats have this characteristic.
The Big Lipped Bat are frugivores. Figs make up much of their diet, but they may also include mangos, bananas and guavas.
The fruit is picked and taken to a nearby tree where it is chewed, the juice squeezed out and the pulp discarded.
The Big Lipped Bats are nocturnal, roosting during the day in the forest canopy.
The Big Lipped Bat rely on camouflage to hide them from predators. Specific species of trees are not selected for roosting, however some roosts may be used for long periods of time. Roosts are 70 to 100 ft. from the ground.
The Hammer Headed Bat is sometimes considered a pest due to its frugivorous diet and its extremely loud honking noises at night. In Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, it is consumed as bushmeat.
It has been investigated as a potential reservoir of the Ebola virus, with several testing positive for antibodies against the virus. It is not considered a species of conservation concern due to its large range and presumably large population size.