Silver-tipped Myotis (Myotis albescens) lives in tropical rainforest across Central and South America. It feeds on insects and spiders. Its conservation status is Least Concern.
Fascinating facts about the Silver-tipped Myotis
- The silver-tipped myotis is covered in long, silky fur whose individual hairs are dark for most of their length but end in white tips, creating a frosted look that gives the species its name. This silver ticking runs across the entire body, not just the underside as in some relatives, allowing it to be told apart from otherwise similar bats. The striking contrast of dark shafts with bright tips makes the bat instantly recognisable in the field.
- A distinctive feature of this bat is its long calcar, a bony spur that projects beyond the edge of the wing membrane between the legs. The membrane is partially supported by this calcar, which ends in a small rounded lump, adding extra stability to the flight surface.
- When hunting, the silver-tipped myotis emits ultra-short frequency-modulated calls lasting only two to five milliseconds, sweeping down from 75 to 43 kHz and reaching sound levels of at least 111 dB. These calls are used while the bat flies slowly low over ground or water, catching insects with its large feet. Its diet includes beetles, flies, lepidopterans and spiders, captured during these brief acoustic sweeps.
- Female silver-tipped myotis can keep sperm inside their bodies for up to three months after mating, allowing them to choose when fertilisation occurs. This delay means they can synchronise pregnancy with favourable conditions rather than the timing of the initial encounter. After the stored sperm is used, gestation lasts about three months and produces a single offspring. Young are weaned after roughly one month, when all permanent teeth have erupted.
- The silver-tipped myotis is recorded from every South American country except Chile and French Guiana, making its distribution exceptionally broad for a Myotis bat. Its presence across such a vast area is helped by a tolerance for many lowland habitats, from forests and shrublands to open wetlands and pastures below 500 metres. The species is usually found close to open water, though it avoids the high Andes and the colder southern Argentine regions.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeCentral and South America
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietInsects and spiders
About the Silver-tipped Myotis
In the warm, golden light of dusk, the silver-tipped myotis takes to the skies, its delicate, almost translucent wings beating at a hypnotic pace as it dances through the air in pursuit of insects. With an agility that belies its tiny size, this diminutive bat navigates the intricate lattice of tree branches and leafy foliage with ease, its large, round ears twitching with every faint rustle and whisper of the forest. As it flits and weaves, the silver-tipped myotis leaves a trail of fleeting, whispered echoes in its wake, a testament to its remarkable ability to thrive in the shadows of a rapidly changing world.
Hear the Silver-tipped Myotis, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
