Chestnut Sac-winged Bat

Fascinating facts about the Chestnut Sac-winged Bat

• The chestnut sac-winged bat is the only species placed in the genus Cormura, making it a unique taxonomic line. It inhabits a broad swathe of South and Central America, ranging from eastern Ecuador and Peru through northern Bolivia to central Brazil, and extending north through Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas and into eastern Nicaragua. Its natural setting is the humid lowland forest, where it finds the roosting sites it needs.
• Male chestnut sac-winged bats possess conspicuous wing sacs that begin at the edge of the membrane and extend almost to the elbow, a configuration not seen in any other sac-winged bat. These sacs sit on the forward surfaces of the wings, centred on the membrane, and are part of the wing's extensive skin that reaches the mid-humerus and mid-femur on both upper and lower sides.
• The tail of the chestnut sac-winged bat is concealed within the wing membrane, projecting from the centre of the membrane between the legs but never extending beyond it, so it is invisible in silhouette. Only a tiny tip of 1 to 3 mm can be seen above the membrane, while the rest of the roughly 1.5 cm tail remains hidden.
• Adults measure about 7 cm in length and weigh between 7 and 11 g. Their bodies are covered in soft, dense fur that is brown-black or red-brown, darker on the back and paler underneath, while the wing membranes are black and extend as far as the ankles, reaching the mid-humerus and mid-femur on both upper and lower surfaces.
• Their echolocation consists of three short pulses that rise in pitch from 25 to 32 kHz, a pattern tuned for detecting insects at long range. They emit these calls while foraging for insects in openings and gaps just below and around the forest canopy. The bats are most active just after dusk and just before dawn, spending daylight hours roosting in cavities in trees or fallen logs.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia

At a glance

About the Chestnut Sac-winged Bat

In the warm, humid skies of Central and South America, the Chestnut Sac-winged Bat dances on the wind, its delicate, almost translucent wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it pursues the swarms of insects that fill the twilight air. With a gentle, fluttering motion, it navigates the dense foliage, its large, round eyes shining like dark jewels in the fading light, ever vigilant for the slightest hint of movement. As it flits and weaves through the trees, its distinctive sac-like wings, from which it derives its name, glow with a rich, chestnut hue, a striking testament to the beauty and diversity of the natural world.

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