Smallest bat

The smallest species of bat (as well as the smallest flying mammal and widely considered the smallest mammal overall) is the bumblebee bat or Kitti's hog-nosed bat (Craseonycteris thonglongyai), with a body no bigger than a large bumblebee. It has a head-body length of only 29–33 millimetres (1.14–1.29 inches), a wing-span of approximately 130–145 millimetres (5.1–5.7 inches), and a weight of 1.7–2 grams (0.05–0.07 ounces). The world's smallest bat is native to limestone caves on the Khwae Noi River in Kanchanaburi Province, western Thailand and in south-east Myanmar.

The smallest non-flying mammal (and some argue to be the lightest mammal overall) is the Etruscan shrew (Suncus etruscus), which has a head and body length of 35–48 mm (1.3–1.8 in), a tail length of 25–30 mm (0.98–1.17 in) and weighs 1.5–2.5 g (0.05–0.09 oz). It is found along the Mediterranean coast and southwards to South Africa.

At the other end of the scale, the largest bats in the world are the flying foxes, or Old World fruit bats (family Pteropodidae), particularly those living in south-east Asia. Several species in the genera Pteropus and Acerodon have a head-body length of up to 45 cm (1 ft 5 in), a wing-span of 1.7 m (5 ft 7 in) and a weight of 1.6 kg (3 lb 12 oz). The biggest species are generally considered to be the Indian flying fox (P. giganteus) and the giant golden-crowned flying fox (A. jubatus).