Big-eared Woolly Bat (Chrotopterus auritus) lives in tropical rainforest across Central and South America. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Big-eared Woolly Bat
- The big-eared woolly bat ranks as the second-largest bat species in the Neotropics, with adults weighing between 75 and 96 g. Their forearms measure 79-83 mm, giving them a notably robust build. Because of this size they fly slowly, typically staying just one to two metres above the ground. Their low, deliberate flight often occurs in dense thickets where they hunt.
- These bats can capture prey as heavy as 70 g, but they more often target vertebrates weighing between 10 and 35 g. Their diet is diverse, covering beetles, moths, small mammals such as opossums and rodents, passerine birds and even other bats. After a successful hunt the bat returns to its roost and hangs head-down before it begins to eat. This delayed consumption allows it to process prey safely away from predators.
- A single pup is born after a gestation lasting more than 100 days, representing the greatest parental investment among Phyllostomid bats. The newborn measures about 32.5 % of the mother's size, far larger than the 18.6-29.4 % typical for other family members.
- The big-eared woolly bat has two lower incisors, a dental feature that is usually seen only in much smaller bats. This unusual trait appears alongside its status as one of the largest neotropical bats, with body masses of 75-96 g and forearms 79-83 mm long. Only three New World phyllostomid species approach its size, highlighting how distinctive its dentition is within its size class.
- Among its varied diet, the big-eared woolly bat uniquely includes geckos, a prey type that is rarely taken by New World bats. This behaviour was once thought to occur only in another species, T. cirrhosis, making the bat one of only two known to exploit this reptilian resource. Its overall feeding habit is primarily carnivorous, targeting insects, small mammals and birds, yet the addition of geckos expands its ecological niche.
Sources
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At a glance
RangeCentral and South America
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietInsects and fruit
About the Big-eared Woolly Bat
In the twilight realm of the tropical forest, the Big-eared Woolly Bat emerges as a phantom, its enormous ears flapping like delicate wings as it navigates the dense undergrowth with an uncanny silence. With a gentle flutter, it alights upon a moss-encrusted trunk, its soft, woolly fur blending seamlessly into the shadows, allowing it to remain all but invisible as it surveys its surroundings with an unblinking gaze. As it takes to the skies once more, its ethereal forms dissolves into the darkness, leaving behind only the faintest whisper of its presence.
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