requirements. Conservation Despite being a conspicuously colored bat, over sixty years passed between the discovery of the first Honduran white bat in 1898 and the next discovery in 1963. It is currently evaluated as near-threatened by the IUCN. It meets the criteria for this designation because its population is in a "significant decline." The decline does not exceed 30% population loss over the past three generations (approximately 18 years in this species), which would qualify it for vulnerable designation. However, it is on the verge of qualifying for the vulnerable designation. Reasons for its population decline include conversion of its habitat to farmland as well as an expanding human population. It is particularly susceptible to habitat loss because it is highly specialized on a single species of fig for its food source. Human health applications In 2016, it was discovered that the Honduran white bat uses carotenoids to produce the yellow-orange coloration of its ears, nose-leaf, and lips. It was the first mammalian species to be documented with high enough concentrations of carotenoids to produce visible skin coloration. It isolates the pigments from its diet, particularly the fruits of the Ficus colubrinae tree. Lutein, the carotenoid responsible for its yellow pigmentation, is present in its skin in its esterified form, while in its free form in the liver. This suggests that Honduran white bats possess a physiological mechanism to convert free lutein to esterified lutein, which humans are unable to do. Lutein plays an important role in the eyes by preventing damage to the retina; it is hypothesized that if the free lutein in human eyes was esterified, it would be more effective at preventing damage and preserving vision. Understanding the process by which Honduran white bats convert free lutein to esterified lutein could assist in the understanding of how the stability and bioavailability of carotenoids benefit human health. In particular, the species may have research applications for understanding and treating macular degeneration in humans. References External links A video of a Honduran white bat foraging for figs at night Bats of Central America Mammals described in 1892 Phyllostomidae Taxa named by Harrison Allen