Proboscis Bat

Description:

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. Tiny bats that were gathered under the roof of an abandoned house in La Selva Biological Station. They were doing research on them at the time. The proboscis bat (Rhynchonycteris naso) is a bat species from South and Central America. Other common names include sharp-nosed bat, Brazilian long-nosed bat and river bat in English, and murciélago narizón in Spanish. This is a small bat, around 6 centimeters (2 inches) long and 4 grams (0.14 ounces) in weight. Like most bats, it is nocturnal. 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: they lay one after another on a branch or wooden beam, nose to tail, in a straight row.

Habitat:

Tiny bats on a log on a tiny island in the middle of the Sarapiqui River. This species is found in the lowlands of the northern half of South America, throughout Central America, and into southeastern Mexico. It seldom occurs above 300 meters (1,000 feet) in elevation. It usually lives around wetlands and is frequently found in riparian forests, pastures swamps, and all near water.