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Project Noah Nature School
Balantiopteryx io
This very small bat species is of the Sac-Winged Bat of the Family Emballonuridae. It has been photographed and commented on by thousands of visitors to the Mayan Ruins of Yaxchilan. There is one Temple in particular (last 2 pictures) which has a maze of dark tunnels with steep corbel arches. The bats are scattered about on the ceilings and upper walls, usually separated from one another by several inches or more (3rd picture). If you look closely, you can see how these bats typically rest in a triangular position, supporting their weight on their outstretched forearms. The have small sac-like structures on their upper arms which emit odors that are used in courtship and for territorial marking. It is these tiny sacs which give the common name to these bats. This species is an insectivore, feeding on insects at night. They are common in some Mayan Temples (with darker recesses) but are usually found in caves under natural conditions. This bat was found co-habitating the narrow Temple ceilings with a Phyllostomatid bat of about the same size and which tends to snuggle together in small groups. See Luis's spotting from the same temple: (http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/236...). You can notice that the Phyllostomatids have a long narrow leaf-nose and tend to hang down straight without using their forearms. Phyllostomatids are primarily fruit and blossom feeders.
Mayan Ruins of Yaxchilan, Usumacinta River, Chiapas, Mexico.
http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patagio http://consejo.bz/belize/bats.html http://www.mnh.si.edu/mna/image_info.cfm...
Spotted on Mar 31, 2014
Submitted on Apr 13, 2014
4 Comments
Hi AfriBats. You know, when I was researching this bat and struggling with the ID, it never occurred to me that there were actually two species of bats in the Temple. I went back to ID Luis's bat and saw that he had a Phyllostomatid and not the Emballonurid. The long thin leaf-nose was very clear (his pictures are great!). I went back to my video and thought I saw a leaf-nose for an instant and thought no…it must be a shadow trick. Now I see very clearly the difference in the two bats. They roost differently and look different from below in how they hang, even though they are about the same size and color. The Phyllostomatid is a groupie and the Emballonurid is a loner. Thank you for illuminating this for me and I have removed the Phyllostomatids from this spotting.
If you and Luis should have visited the same temple: he has spotted a phyllostomid bat alongside an emballonurid:
www.projectnoah.org/spottings/236336040
Nice spotting! Pictures 1, 2 and 4 show emballonurid bats, but picture 3 and the video looks more like a New World leaf-nosed bat (Phyllostomidae). Rather than courting, the bat is cleaning itself in the video.
You've accurately described the fascinating courtship behaviour of emballonurid bats! Some courtship sequences can be watched here.
www.youtube.com/user/MKnoernschild/video...
Nice one Lauren