The little-known Zenker's fruit bat (Scotonycteris zenkeri) is distinguished by its distinctive facial markings consisting of a white spot above the nose, and two additional spots above the eyes. The fur on the body ranges from light to dark brown with a paler underside.

Zenker's fruit bat has large forward-facing eyes, which give it great depth perception, as well as good daytime and nocturnal vision. As this bat does not echolocate, it has simple and relatively small external ears. These features are typical of fruit bats, as are the claws that are found on the hind feet which are used predominantly for hanging upside down and climbing.