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Spectral bat
Matt Muir, CC BY 4.0, via iNaturalist

Bats

Spectral bat

Vampyrum spectrum (Linnaeus, 1758)

NT Near ThreatenedOn Suriname's list of threatened fauna

Names

EnglishSpectral bat
DutchVampiervleermuis
SpanishMurciélago espectral
Chinese美洲假吸血蝠
Scientific nameVampyrum spectrum (Linnaeus, 1758)

About this species

The spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum), also called the great false vampire bat, great spectral bat, American false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and South America. It is the only member of the genus Vampyrum; its closest living relative is the big-eared woolly bat. It is the largest bat species in the New World, as well as the largest carnivorous bat: its wingspan is 0.7–1.0 m (2.3–3.3 ft). It has a robust skull and teeth, with which it delivers a powerful bite to kill its prey. Birds are frequent prey items, though it may also consume rodents, insects, and other bats.

Unlike the majority of bat species, it is monogamous. Colonies consist of an adult male and female and their offspring. The adult male will bring food back to the roost to provision the adult female and their offspring. Colonies generally roost in tree hollows, though individuals may roost in caves.

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderChiroptera
FamilyPhyllostomidae
GenusVampyrum

In Suriname

20Records in Suriname
1888First record
2017Latest record

Where it has been recorded

  • Sipaliwini2
  • Para1

Districts with at least one record that has coordinates. Shaded districts have records.

Sources & credits

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Related species in Suriname