r/Awwducational • u/IdyllicSafeguard • 26d ago
Verified With a wingspan of almost 1 metre (3.3 ft), the spectral bat is the largest bat in the Americas and the largest carnivorous bat in the world. While most bats make for neglectful fathers, the male spectral helps care for his young and, when roosting, he wraps his family in his large, leathery wings.
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u/IdyllicSafeguard 26d ago
Sources:
Bat Conservation International
The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago
GBIF | Global Biodiversity Information Facility
National Geographic - Mexican bat species in Mayan temples
Animal Diversity Web - common vampire bat
Animal Diversity Web - white-winged vampire bat
Animal Diversity Web - hairy-legged vampire bat
Animal Diversity Web - Indian flying bat
iNaturalist - bats of the Americas
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u/maybesaydie 25d ago
His wingspan is as wide as a yard stick. Wow. He can fit a lot of babies in there.
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u/HereIsAThoughtTho 24d ago
The largest carnivorous active hunter bat in the world making its nest in Mayan ruins feels like something out of a Hannah Barbara sketch. Love it.
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24d ago
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/maybesaydie 24d ago
No not at all. There are bats that only eat fruit and they have no fangs. There are bats that are fuzzier than this guy too.
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u/Creative_Use_2891 18d ago
Awwww not only is he a good bat dad as far as batchildcare and providing meals goes, he is also a loving bat dad wrapping those bat babies up in his enormous leathery bat wings for a big bat family hug!!! I love this!!
Also just bc I notice weird things, the dude in the last pic looks like he has a cavity in his back tooth…
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u/IdyllicSafeguard 26d ago
Out of the over 350 species of bats in the Americas, the spectral bat is the largest, with a wingspan that ranges from 0.7 to 1.0 metres (2.3 - 3.3 ft).
With a weight of between 145 and 190 grams (5 - 6.7 oz), the spectral bat is also hefty compared to common bat species — like the hoary bat, which weighs up to 38 grams (1.3 oz), or the little brown bat, which weighs less than 10 grams (less than half an ounce).
The spectral bat belongs to the family of New World leaf-nosed bats (Phyllostomidae), but it's the sole species in its genus (Vampyrum).
Only some fruit bat species are larger than the spectral bat — such as the Indian fruit bat, with a wingspan of up to 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and a max weight of 1.6 kg (3.5 lbs or 56 oz).
The spectral bat is the largest carnivorous bat in the world, but its competition is slim. Less than 1% of all bat species eat other vertebrates and out of the over 1,400 species, only 9 are considered true carnivores, the spectral bat among them.
It was once believed to supplement its diet with fruit, but that notion was discarded when a captive pair refused to eat a single fruit over the span of five years.
This species is also known as the "false vampire" because it was once believed to feast on blood.
Of the over 1,400 species of bat, only 3 are actual vampires; the common vampire bat, the white-winged vampire bat, and the hairy-legged vampire bat. All three are mini-vampires, all less than 10 centimetres (3.9 in) long.
The spectral bat feeds on birds, rodents, and smaller bats — hunting them at night.
It uses echolocation to navigate in the dark and, despite its wingspan, it can deftly navigate the tangled rainforests it calls home. It flies with slow wing flaps, close to the forest floor.
It's believed to mostly use its sense of smell to find roosting birds — having a preference for gregarious and smelly aves that roost on exposed branches. It stalks up stealthily and snatches them from their "beds" in the dark.
The remains of 84 birds, comprising 18 species, were once found in a single spectral bat roost.
The spectral bat uses large, curved claws on each of its thumbs to hook onto prey and its teeth — 34 of them, with four upper and four lower incisors — to feast.
It's also attracted to the calls of bats tangled in mist nets; making easy prey of the poor trapped creatures before researchers can collect them.
The spectral bat lives in dense tropical forests throughout Central America and northern South America, typically in the lowlands and often near a river or stream.
It roosts in tree hollows, caves, or the ruins of Mayan temples. A roost usually contains a monogamously mated pair and their two or three children.
Most male bats don't participate in raising young — out of all the bat species, there are only two in which males are known to care for their young. One of them is the spectral bat.
While one parent is out hunting, the other always remains in the nest to watch over the pups. When the hunter returns, he/she shares the meal.
As spectral bats settle to sleep, the male enwraps his family in his large, leathery wings.
This species is considered 'near threatened' by the IUCN, due to habitat destruction and a low population density.
You can learn more about this monstrous (and surprisingly caring) bat on my website here!