Nose-leaf


A leaf nose or nose-leaf is an often large, lance-shaped nose, found in bats of the Phyllostomidae, Hipposideridae, and Rhinolophidae families. Because these bats echolocate nasally, this nose-leaf is thought to serve some role in modifying and directing the echolocation call.
The shape of the nose-leaf can be an important for identifying and classifying bats.