False Vampire Bat, "Jaguar" of the Bat World

The False Vampire Bat, more commonly known as the Spectral Bat, is the largest of the Neotropic (South and Central America) bats.

False Vampire Bat

Vampyrum spectrum

(Photo © R. P. Fontaine)

Physical Description

These bats are dark brown with a faint stripe down its back. They have large, rounded ears. Thie snout or muzzle is elongated with noseleaf, or protrusion, that is positioned like a hood (bonnet) ornament on an auto.False Vampire Bats' wingspans can reach 1 metre (over 3 ft.), and they may weigh 180 grams (6.35 oz.). They have no tail.

Habitat

False Vampire Bats are found in lowland forests from Central America, south to Northern Bolivia and the Southern Amazon Basin. it is often found near swamps, the forest edge, and in secondary growth.

Diet

Though tiny in comparison to Jaguars, these great bats are also top predators of the forest, feeding mainly on birds, other bats and rodents. Also like Jaguars, False Vampire Bats frequently kill their prey by biting its head and crushing its skull.

(Illustration courtesy of F. Reid)

Family Life

False Vampire Bats live in tree hollows and are "family bats". The family group usually consists of a pair of often monogamous adults and their non-breeding young. Individuals share their prey with other members of the family.  They give birth to one baby during each breeding period. Sometimes, an older member of the family may remain to baby sit the young while the adults hunt.

Status in the Wild

As of 11th November 2004:

• Convention of International Trade of Endangered Species (CITES) - no information available.
• Listed as Lower Risk - near threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List - does not qualify for Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable now, but has a relatively lower risk of qualifying for a threatened category in the near future.

Original text courtesy of Deirdre Jafferally, Guyana Nature Foundation; edits and updates by Iwokrama.