Hammer-headed bat: facts, fruit diet and booming mating calls

Male anatomy includes an enlarged larynx, resonating spaces and broad lips. Together these structures help produce loud honking calls that carry through nighttime display areas.

The large voice box occupies substantial body space. The face therefore looks disproportionate because sexual selection has favoured sound production, not because the bat needs a broader mouth to eat larger prey.

Males gather in display arenas called leks, space themselves along branches and call repeatedly. Females fly through the area, assess callers and choose a mate.

This system concentrates competition in sound and display. It helps explain why male and female bodies diverged so strongly even though both depend mainly on fruit.

They feed largely on fruit and may travel between fruiting trees. By carrying or digesting fruit they can disperse seeds, linking an unusual face to ordinary forest processes.

The species is assessed as Least Concern across a broad range. Hunting and habitat change may still affect local populations, and images of harvested bats should not be mistaken for evidence that the species is naturally aggressive.