Proboscis bat

Characteristics

This is a small bat, around 6 cm long and 4 g in weight. Males in northern South America were found to average 56 mm long, females 59 mm. The tail is about 16 mm long. Pregnant females can weigh up to 6 g.

Proboscis bats (81721).jpg|in Costa Rica Proboscis Bat JCB.jpg|in Costa Rica. The two on the lower left are carrying young Long-nosed proboscis bats (Rhynchonycteris naso) Rio Napo.jpg|in Ecuador, juvenile on left

Habitat

This species is found in the lowlands of the northern half of South America, throughout Central America, and into southeastern Mexico. From Ecuador south, it is limited to east of the Andes; its range extends south to the northern half of Bolivia and much of Brazil. It seldom occurs above 300 m in elevation. It usually lives around wetlands and is frequently found in riparian forests, pastures swamps, and all near water.

Habits

Proboscis bats live in groups. The colonies are usually between five and ten individuals, and very rarely exceed forty. The bats are nocturnal, sleeping during the day in an unusual formation: most of them line up, one after another, on a branch or wooden beam, nose to tail, in a straight row.

A colony of proboscis bats usually has a regular feeding area, typically a small patch of water. Here the bats catch insects (in the form of midges including [chironomids], mosquitoes, beetles, and caddisflies) using echolocation. They have no specific breeding season, forming stable year-round harems. One young is born per female. Both sexes disperse after weaning at around 2–4 months.

This small species of bat has been found to occasionally fall prey to the large spider Argiope submaronica.

References

References

1. Lim, B.. (2016). "''Rhynchonycteris naso''".
2. [http://www.arthurgrosset.com/mammals/sharp-nosedbat.html Sharp-nosed Bat – Rhynchonycteris naso]. Arthurgrosset.com. Retrieved on 2012-12-29.
3. "Rhynchonycteris naso". Mammalian Species. (1992). link
4. (26 November 2001). "Bat community structure at Iwokrama Forest, Guyana". J. Trop. Ecol..
5. [http://ftp.funet.fi/pub/sci/bio/life/mammalia/chiroptera/emballonuridae/rhynchonycteris/index.html Rhynchonycteris]. Ftp.funet.fi (2002-08-29). Retrieved on 2012-12-29.
6. {{smallcaps. Timm, Robert M. & Losilla, Mauricio (2007): Orb-weaving Spider, ''Argiope savignyi'' (Araneidae), Predation on the Proboscis Bat ''Rhynchonycteris naso'' (Emballonuridae). ''Caribbean Journal of Science'' '''43'''(2): 282–284. [http://caribjsci.org/dec07/43_273d-284d.pdf PDF] {{Webarchive. link. (2011-07-20 {{hdl). 1808/4463
7. "Rhynchonycteris naso (Proboscis Bat)".
8. "Rhynchonycteris naso (Proboscis bat)".