Wrinkle-faced bat (Centurio senex)

The appearance of wrinkle-faced bat (Latin Centurio senex), one of the least studied and the most strange mammals in the world, for a long time remained a mystery for biologists.

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A flat, shortened skull, multilayer folds of wrinkled skin around the nose and mouth give its appearance an ugly, like a winking expression. Another large crease is found on the neck of this animal - settling for the night, leaf sheath pulls her on her head like a mask. Special translucent patches at eye level allow him to see light and respond to movement.

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Earlier it was believed that wrinkles and folds on the skin needed a bat to catch insects. However, the folded leaf leaf is vegetarian and eats exclusively fruits - bananas, mangoes, papaya, so this version is not suitable for it.

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Analyzing the behavior of leaf-eaters, scientists came to the conclusion that in this way bats orient themselves in space, using their multi-layered noses as echolocators. Complex grooves and cracks act as resonating chambers that help them "see" in the dark.

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Another feature of the folded scrap leaves is a short and wide skull. As recently discovered by American biologists, such a strange shape of the skull is due to the presence of powerful jaws with twenty-eight teeth, whose bite strength is twenty percent stronger than other bats of similar size. But his leafy jaws use only for peaceful purposes, biting them into hard, under-ripe fruit.

With the best wishes, @gleb-jeglov aka Evgeny.