Kitti's hog-nosed bat

, Tokyo, Japan. Kitti's hog-nosed bat measures approximately long and weighs around , earning its common name "bumblebee bat". It is the smallest bat species and potentially the world's smallest mammal by body length, though this distinction depends on the measurement criteria used. The main competitors for the title are small shrews; in particular, the Etruscan shrew may be lighter at but its body is longer, measuring from its head to the base of the tail. The bat has a distinctive swollen, pig-like snout Its ears are relatively large, while its eyes are small and mostly concealed by fur. In the jaw, the premaxillae are not fused with surrounding bones, and the coronoid process is significantly reduced. Its teeth are typical of an insectivorous bat. ==Range and habitat==

Kitti's hog-nosed bat occupies limestone caves along rivers within dry evergreen or deciduous forests. While Sai Yok National Park in the Dawna Hills contains much of the bat's range, some Thai populations occur outside the park and are therefore unprotected. Since the 2001 discovery of a single individual in Myanmar, at least nine separate sites have been identified in the limestone outcrops of the Dawna and Karen Hills outside the Thanlwin, Ataran, and Gyaing Rivers of Kayin and Mon States. The Thai and Myanmar populations are morphologically identical, but their echolocation calls are distinct. It is not known whether the two populations are reproductively isolated. == Biology ==

Kitti's hog-nosed bat roosts in caves in limestone hills, far from the entrance. While many caves contain only 10 to 15 individuals, the average group size is 100, with a maximum of about 500. Individuals roost high on walls or roof domes, far apart from each other. During this period, the bat forages within fields of cassava and kapok or around the tops of bamboo clumps and teak trees, within one kilometre of the roosting site. The wings seem to be shaped for hovering flight, and the gut contents of specimens include spiders and insects that are presumably gleaned off foliage. Nevertheless, most prey is probably caught in flight. Main staples of the bat's diet include small flies (Chloropidae, Agromyzidae, and Anthomyiidae), hymenopterans, psocopterans, and spiders. Late in the dry season (around April) of each year, females give birth to a single offspring. During feeding periods, the young either stays in the roost or remains attached to the mother at one of her two vestigial pubic nipples. ==Taxonomy ==

Kitti's hog-nosed bat is the only extant species in the family Craseonycteridae, which is grouped in the superfamily Rhinolophoidea as a result of molecular testing. Based on this determination, the bat's closest relatives are members of the families Hipposideridae and Rhinopomatidae. ==Conservation==

As of the species' review in 2019, Kitti's hog-nosed bat is listed by the IUCN as near-threatened, with a downward population trend. In 2007, Kitti's hog-nosed bat was identified by the Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered project as one of its Top 10 "focal species". ==See also==