Megadermatidae
| Megadermatidae Temporal range: Late Eocene to Recent, | |
|---|---|
| Megaderma spasma | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Superfamily: | Rhinolophoidea |
| Family: | Megadermatidae H. Allen, 1864 |
| Type genus | |
| Megaderma Geoffroy, 1810 | |
| Genera | |
|
Cardioderma | |
Megadermatidae, or false vampire bats, are a family of bats found from central Africa, eastwards through southern Asia, and into Australia. They are relatively large bats, ranging from 6.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length. They have large eyes, very large ears and a prominent nose-leaf. They have a wide membrane between the hind legs, or uropatagium, but no tail. Many species are a drab brown in color, but some are white, bluish-grey or even olive-green, helping to camouflage them against their preferred roosting environments.
They are primarily insectivorous, but will also eat a wide range of small vertebrates.