Hairy Big-eyed Bat

Fascinating facts about the Hairy Big-eyed Bat

• Hairy Big-eyed Bats take to the air within an hour of sunset, reach a frenzy between 7 p.m. and 10 p.m., then stop flying around half past midnight. On Barro Colorado Island, 85 % of captures were made 3-12 m above ground, the rest at 0-3 m, showing they hunt in the mid-canopy.
• Size in Hairy Big-eyed Bats isn't uniform: specimens from Brazil's Atlantic rainforest (n = 48) are larger than those from other regions, while western populations (the subspecies C. v. jesupi) are significantly smaller. This clinal pattern, with big individuals in the far east and tiny ones in the northwest.
• Hairy Big-eyed Bats breed seasonally: the first birth peak hits when the rainy season starts and fruit is abundant. Pregnant females appear Jan-Apr in Nicaragua and Panama, Aug-Sep in western South America, and Jan-Jul in Venezuela, and each pregnancy yields a single pup.
• On Barro Colorado Island, every bite the Hairy Big-eyed Bat takes comes from figs, 100 % of its diet there is fig fruit, spanning seven species such as F. citrifolia and F. popenoei.
• The IUCN lists the Hairy Big-eyed Bat as Least Concern, yet it shuns heavily altered landscapes: it is rare in the degraded interior of São Paulo state and uncommon in cities, preferring lowland tropical forests below 500 m (99 % of captures).

At a glance

About the Hairy Big-eyed Bat

In the twilight skies of the Neotropics, the Hairy Big-eyed Bat unfurls its delicate wings, a whispered promise of nocturnal wonder, as it embarks on a graceful dance of discovery, its enormous eyes drinking in the faint luminescence of a moonlit forest. With each gentle beat, it navigates the dense understory, a master of subtle movement, its soft fur fluffed against the chill of night as it pursues the sweet, high-pitched songs of insects. As it flits and weaves, the Hairy Big-eyed Bat embodies the very essence of tropical enchantment, a fleeting glimpse of mystery in the shadows.

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