Ghost-faced Bat
Encyclopedia
The Ghost-faced Bat is a bat
in the genus Mormoops. It occurs in Belize
, Colombia
, Ecuador
, El Salvador
, Guatemala
, Honduras
, Mexico
. Peru
, Trinidad and Tobago
, Venezuela
and in Texas
in the United States. Mormoops megalophylla is one of only two extant species within it genus, the other being Mormoops blainvillii. The Ghost-faced bat is distinguishable from its cousin, M. blainvillii because of its much larger size. These mammals are nocturnal and hunt using echolocation
.
They get their name from the unusual appearance of their face. This ugly appearance is due to the flaps of skin that are found hanging on their chin and along their face. They also have a very poorly developed nose and "large, round ears that join across their forehead".
These bats are medium in size. They have a reddish-brown to dark born appearance. The reddish color becomes more prominent as the pelage ages. This particular bat undergoes molting. Molting usually occurs between June and September. On the dorsal side, molting starts on the shoulders and spreads over the back whereas on the ventral side, molting usually begins under the wings, on the neck and chin and then spreads down across the abdomen.
Facial Features
The faces of these bats have a smashed-in appearance. This appearance is because they do not have a well-developed nose. Also their forehead arises abruptly from their nose. Their faces are also composed of very thick dermis and muscle fibers and they have large, round ears that seem to join across the forehead. These four things together give the bat the odd appearance that it has.
Unique Characteristic
These bats maintain an unusually high body temperature. Their body temperatures are usually a few degrees higher than the ambient temperature. Because they maintain such a high body temperature, they are sensitive to temperatures that are colder than 10°C. They can only survive in these colder temperatures for a couple of hours before they succumb to hypothermia.
These bats are found in humid, arid, and semi-arid regions. They seem to prefer regions below a 3,000 m elevation. In the United States they have been found from southern Texas
and Arizona
through Baja California
. They have also been found in Mexico
through eastern Honduras
and El Salvador
. They then seem to skip the countries of Nicaragua
, Costa Rica
, or Panama
. Records of these bats then resume along the Caribbean coast of South America in countries such as Colombia
, Venezuela
, and Trinidad and Tobago
. There are also records of them along the Pacific coasts in Colombia
, Ecuador
, and northern Peru
.
Fossil Record
The earliest record of these bats is from the late Pleistocene. During the late Pleistocene the bats appeared to have a much broader range than they do today with fossils found as far north as Florida
. Fossils have also been found in a lot of Caribbean islands such as Cuba
, Jamaica
, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago
, and Aruba
.
at a time. They seem to give birth in the spring between March and June. Lactating females have also been observed between June and August. Finally, because these bats are so sensitive to changes in temperature, the pregnant females seem to roost deeper in the caves than the rest of the colony. By roosting here these females and their young are in an area where the ventilation is minimized and there is high heat retention.
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,...
in the genus Mormoops. It occurs in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
, Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
, Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
and in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
in the United States. Mormoops megalophylla is one of only two extant species within it genus, the other being Mormoops blainvillii. The Ghost-faced bat is distinguishable from its cousin, M. blainvillii because of its much larger size. These mammals are nocturnal and hunt using echolocation
Echolocation
Echolocation may refer to:* Acoustic location, the general use of sound to locate objects* Animal echolocation, non-human animals emitting sound waves and listening to the echo in order to locate objects or navigate...
.
They get their name from the unusual appearance of their face. This ugly appearance is due to the flaps of skin that are found hanging on their chin and along their face. They also have a very poorly developed nose and "large, round ears that join across their forehead".
Description
PelageThese bats are medium in size. They have a reddish-brown to dark born appearance. The reddish color becomes more prominent as the pelage ages. This particular bat undergoes molting. Molting usually occurs between June and September. On the dorsal side, molting starts on the shoulders and spreads over the back whereas on the ventral side, molting usually begins under the wings, on the neck and chin and then spreads down across the abdomen.
Facial Features
The faces of these bats have a smashed-in appearance. This appearance is because they do not have a well-developed nose. Also their forehead arises abruptly from their nose. Their faces are also composed of very thick dermis and muscle fibers and they have large, round ears that seem to join across the forehead. These four things together give the bat the odd appearance that it has.
Unique Characteristic
These bats maintain an unusually high body temperature. Their body temperatures are usually a few degrees higher than the ambient temperature. Because they maintain such a high body temperature, they are sensitive to temperatures that are colder than 10°C. They can only survive in these colder temperatures for a couple of hours before they succumb to hypothermia.
Biogeography
Modern RecordThese bats are found in humid, arid, and semi-arid regions. They seem to prefer regions below a 3,000 m elevation. In the United States they have been found from southern Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
through Baja California
Baja California
Baja California officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is both the northernmost and westernmost state of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1953, the area was known as the North...
. They have also been found in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
through eastern Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
and El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
. They then seem to skip the countries of Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, or Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
. Records of these bats then resume along the Caribbean coast of South America in countries such as Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
, and Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
. There are also records of them along the Pacific coasts in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, and northern Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
.
Fossil Record
The earliest record of these bats is from the late Pleistocene. During the late Pleistocene the bats appeared to have a much broader range than they do today with fossils found as far north as Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
. Fossils have also been found in a lot of Caribbean islands such as Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
, Bahamas, Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, and Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
.
Ecology
As stated before these bats prefer warm climates. They tend to roost in large colonies. However, even though they roost in large colonies they don’t roost together in tight clusters. These bats are very particular in the fact that they roost about 15 cm apart from one another. When they leave their roosting spot (usually a cave, mine shaft, or tunnel) at night they fly in dense, fast-moving groups until they get to their feeding grounds where they disperse. These bats seem to prefer large-bodied moths as their main source of food. They are often found feeding over standing water. Because these bats tend to roost in larger colonies they are susceptible to parasites and rabies which have been known to wipe out entire colonies.Reproduction and Development
Very little is known about the reproduction and development of these bats. These bats only seem to carry one embryoEmbryo
An embryo is a multicellular diploid eukaryote in its earliest stage of development, from the time of first cell division until birth, hatching, or germination...
at a time. They seem to give birth in the spring between March and June. Lactating females have also been observed between June and August. Finally, because these bats are so sensitive to changes in temperature, the pregnant females seem to roost deeper in the caves than the rest of the colony. By roosting here these females and their young are in an area where the ventilation is minimized and there is high heat retention.