[4] The thumbs of banana serotines bear an unusual pad composed of ridged hairy skin with multiple sebaceous glands.

[1][4] Six subspecies are currently recognised: The bats are named for their habit of roosting in the unfurled, tube-like leaves of banana trees and related plants such as plantains.

However, they also roost in a variety of other trees with similarly shaped leaves, such as Strelitzia nicolai and sugar plum, as well as in palms, culverts, and holes in buildings.

[6] Males have been reported to defend particular roosting sites, whereas females regularly travel between different locations, and therefore show no fidelity to particular mating partners.

They emerge to feed less than an hour after sunset, and fly continuously through a relatively small area, rarely travelling more than 100 metres (330 ft) from their roost.

[8] Gestation lasts eight weeks, and, in many parts of Africa, birth of one or two young occurs at the beginning of the wet season, around November, although in other areas it can apparently happen at any time of the year.