Argentine Serotine (Neoeptesicus furinalis) lives in south American grasslands across South America. It feeds on insects & fruit. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
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A real field recording of the Argentine Serotine, made in the wild.
Argentine brown bats live on highland terrain above 1,000 m, favouring elevations that support moist forest and grassland habitats. They avoid arid areas and are most often found in forests close to rivers or lakes where humidity is higher. Day roosts are made in the bark of trees or in rock crevices, providing shelter in these upland zones.
The average maxillary tooth-row of the Argentine brown bat measures between 5.4 mm and 6.3 mm, a dimension that sets it apart from its congeners. This dental length, together with a body size larger than E. diminutus yet smaller than E. basillensis and E. fuscus, helps taxonomists identify the species. Sexual dimorphism is evident, with females generally attaining a greater overall size than males.
Female Argentine brown bats can store sperm for up to three months before fertilisation occurs, allowing them to time birth with periods of greater food availability. Consequently, breeding peaks during the rainy season when insect prey are most abundant. After fertilisation, gestation lasts about three months and typically results in a single-to-two-offspring litter.
The Argentine brown bat can reproduce throughout the entire year because tropical bats do not hibernate or enter torpor, allowing continuous breeding. Breeding peaks in the rainy season when insects are plentiful, giving females the best chance to raise young. Females are able to store sperm for up to three months before fertilisation, and gestation lasts about three months, usually producing one to two offspring.
Argentine brown bats sometimes roost in human structures, building nests from insulation in the rafters of homes and other buildings. They are not known to migrate, which keeps the chance of spreading rabies low despite their ability to carry the virus. In Brazil, surveys have recorded up to 90 individuals living in buildings, and only about six of those tested positive for rabies.
Sources
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In the twilight skies of South America, the Argentine Serotine takes to the air, its dark silhouette a fleeting whisper against the fading light of day. With a fluid, almost ethereal motion, this small bat navigates the dense foliage of its native forests, its leathery wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it pursues the insect prey that sustains it. As it flits and weaves through the shadows, its high-pitched calls echoing through the night, the Argentine Serotine embodies the very essence of nocturnal elegance.
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