its common name "bumblebee bat". It is the smallest bat species and potentially the world's smallest mammal by body length, though this distinction depends on the measurement criteria used. The main competitors for the title are small shrews; in particular, the Etruscan shrew may be lighter at abbr=on 1.2 but its body is longer, measuring abbr=on 36 from its head to the base of the tail.

The bat has a distinctive swollen, pig-like