[4] The name pachypus means "thick-footed" and refers to the presence of smooth fleshy pads at the base of the thumb and on the heels of the feet, which help the bat grip onto bamboo stalks.

It inhabits deciduous forests with extensive areas of bamboo growth, at altitudes from sea level to 1,260 m (4,130 ft).

The entrance slit to such cavities is too restrictive for most predators, such as snakes, but the flattened head of the bamboo bat allows it to enter.

Although the exact species vary across their range, in Malaysia, the preferred bamboo is Gigantochloa scortechinii, and the beetles are most commonly Lasiochila goryi.

[4] Lesser bamboo bats are polygynous, with females mating with multiple males throughout the September to November breeding season.

When their fur first begins to grow it is dark in colour, taking on the lighter and more reddish adult hue by October of their first year.