Furipteridae is one of the families

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 of bat

Bat

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...

s. This family contains only two species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...

, the Smokey Bat

Smokey Bat

The Smoky Bat is a species of bat in the family Furipteridae. It is monotypic within the genus Amorphochilus. It is found in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is rocky shores. It is threatened by habitat loss. This bat is also called the thumbless bat because its thumb is partly...

and the Thumbless Bat

Thumbless Bat

The Thumbless Bat is a species of bat in the Furipteridae family, in the monotypic genus Furipterus. It is found in Costa Rica, Brazil, Venezuela; Colombia; Ecuador; Suriname; French Guiana; Guyana; Panama; Trinidad, and Peru. They have a small thumb which is included in the membrane of the wing,...

. Both are from Central

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

, and are closely related to the bats in the Natalidae

Natalidae

The family Natalidae, or funnel-eared bats are found from Mexico to Brazil and the Caribbean islands. The family has three genera, Chilonatalus, Natalus and Nyctiellus. They are slender bats with unusually long tails and, as their name suggests, funnel-shaped ears. They are small, at only 3.5 to...

 and Thyropteridae

Thyropteridae

Disc-winged bats are a small group of bats of the family Thyropteridae. They are found in Central and South America, usually in moist tropical rain forests. It is a very small family, consisting of a single genus with four species....

 families. They can be recognized by their reduced and functionless thumbs, enclosed by the wing membranes, and their broad, funnel-shaped ears. There are only two genera

Genus

In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...

 in the group, each with a single species. They are insectivorous

Insectivore

An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures. An alternate term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of eating insects....

 and can live in many different kinds of environments. They have greyish fur, and a small nose-leaf. Like many bats, they roost in cave

Cave

A cave or cavern is a natural underground space large enough for a human to enter. The term applies to natural cavities some part of which is in total darkness. The word cave also includes smaller spaces like rock shelters, sea caves, and grottos.Speleology is the science of exploration and study...

s.

Taxonomy

• Genus Amorphochilus
  • Amorphochilus schnablii, Smokey Bat
    Smokey Bat
    The Smoky Bat is a species of bat in the family Furipteridae. It is monotypic within the genus Amorphochilus. It is found in Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. Its natural habitat is rocky shores. It is threatened by habitat loss. This bat is also called the thumbless bat because its thumb is partly...
    
    

• Genus Furipterus
  • Furipterus horrens, Thumbless Bat
    Thumbless Bat
    The Thumbless Bat is a species of bat in the Furipteridae family, in the monotypic genus Furipterus. It is found in Costa Rica, Brazil, Venezuela; Colombia; Ecuador; Suriname; French Guiana; Guyana; Panama; Trinidad, and Peru. They have a small thumb which is included in the membrane of the wing,...