Greater Sac-winged Bat
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| Greater Sac-winged Bat | ||||||||||||||
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| Saccopteryx bilineata (Temminck, 1838) |
The Greater Sac-winged Bat, Saccopteryx bilineata is a bat native to Central and South America.
They are the most common bats seen in the rainforest as they often roost on the outside of large trees. They are insectivores and use echolocation calls through the mouth to track their prey. The long nose and upper lip are highly mobile and can shift upward to enlarge the mouth opening.
The name Sac-winged refers to small pouches on the wings of S. bilineata. These sacs are used by males to attract females and to mark their harem territory. During daily grooming, males will fill these sacs with drops of urine and glandular secretions. During displays for females, the males will hover in front of the female and fan her vigorously to expose her to the scent of the mixture in the wing sacs. Males will also shake the contents of the sac towards bats outside of the male's harem territory to warn off intruders.
Sac-wing pups have been recorded vocalizing various calls and sounds in a jumbled context. For example, a female pup will give the male trill of courting followed by echolocation clicks then adult territorial challenges. These mixed up vocalizations have been equated with human infant babbling and mispronounced songs of young birds. This is the first example of mammal babbling outside of the primate order.
[edit] References
- Chiroptera Specialist Group (1996). Saccopteryx bilineata. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 12 May 2006.
- CC, Voigt; von Helversen, O (December 1999). "Storage and display of odour by male Saccopteryx bilineata (Chiroptera, Emballonuridae)". Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 47: 29–40. doi:.
- Knornschild, M; Behr O, von Helversen O (Sep 2006). "Babbling behavior in the sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata)". Naturwissenschaften 93 (9): 451–4. doi:. PMID 16736178.
