Bats or Adorable Little Cotton Balls? You Decide.

The Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba) is so unbelievably cute and fluffy, it’s hard to believe it’s even real! Just imagine a tiny, cotton-ball-like creature that could easily fit in the palm of your hand, with dazzling white fur and a bright yellow face. And just like in this YouTube video, these cute bats even enjoy cozy sleepovers with their friends!

Rainforest Residents

It’s easy to assume that Honduran white bats only live in Honduras because of their name. However, these adorably fluffy creatures can also be found in other Central American countries, including western Panama, eastern Costa Rica, and parts of Nicaragua.

These cute little fluffballs are frugivores, which means they only eat fruit. They particularly love figs like Ficus colubrinae, and prefer roosting near fruit trees so they can forage through the night.

Snuggling for Survival

Honduran white bats only live in lowland rainforests where heliconia plants grow. Sadly, their specific habitat makes them very vulnerable when rainforests are destroyed. The IUCN considers the bat a near-threatened species.

Heliconia plants, especially the leaves, are essential to the bat’s survival. The bats cleverly cut along the veins of the leaves, causing them to fold downward like an upside-down “V”. These leafy, tent-like shelters can house anywhere from one to 15 bats. The bats roost together upside down, snuggled along the center of the leaf, as seen in this YouTube video. The bats typically choose leaves at least 6 feet from the ground for protection from the weather and predators like snakes and opossums.

Blending in by Being Bright

As one of the world’s smallest fruit-eating bats, Honduran white bats are incredibly tiny. They only grow about 1.5 to 1.9 inches long and have fluffy white coats, like tiny living cotton balls. Their skin contains lutein, a yellow carotenoid pigment, which gives their nose, face, ears, and legs a bright yellow color. In contrast, their wings are black and mostly hairless.

Honduran white bats create quite a striking — and adorable — sight cuddled against their vivid green shelters. However, the bats only use these leafy tents for daytime roosting. When sunlight filters through the leaves, it casts a green tint on the bats’ bright white fur, helping them blend in safely while tucked neatly inside.