#833: White Bat

The Honduran White Bat is a teeny-tiny bat found in Central America. He measures less than 5 cm in length. To create shelters, he slices the side veins of Heliconia leaves, causing them to fold downwards like a tent. These can house up to half a dozen individuals: usually a male and his harem of females.

#799: Vesper Bat

The Vesper Bats are the largest Family of Bats, spread across every continent excluding Antarctica. They are predominantly insectivorous, using echolocation to pinpoint their prey with accuracy. Some of the larger species have techniques for hunting fish and even birds. Many species are colony roosters, with caves being a popular residence, although some favour hollow trees or animal burrows. This fellow is a Pallid Bat, found in western North America and Cuba.

Other species of Vesper Bat in this blog:
Noctule

Creature Feature #512: Noctule

The Noctule are a Genus of vesper bats, found across Europe, Asia and North Africa. There are eight species, ranging in size from the tiny Lesser Noctule at 5 cm to the Greater Noctule, who can grow over 10 cm in length. Like many bats, Noctule are nocturnal and rely on ecolocation to navigate the tree tops. Here they hunt and swoop, catching beetles and insects on the wing. The Greater Noctule, however, seeks larger prey. He regularly preys on birds, snatching them from the air. Being nocturnal, he targets night-flying migrating birds. His voice is pitched to a frequency higher than the birds can hear, allowing him to pinpoint them with deadly accuracy.