Greater Sac-winged Bat
Encyclopedia
The Greater Sac-winged Bat, Saccopteryx bilineata, is a bat of the family Emballonuridae native to Middle 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 insectivore
s 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 term "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..
Microbial fermentation in the sac may produce identifiable sent signals pdf
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.
They are the most common bats seen in the rainforest
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
as they often roost on the outside of large trees. They are insectivore
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....
s and use echolocation
Animal echolocation
Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several kinds of animals.Echolocating animals emit calls out to the environment and listen to the echoes of those calls that return from various objects near them. They use these echoes to locate and identify the objects...
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 term "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
Personal grooming
Personal grooming is the art of cleaning, grooming, and maintaining parts of the body. It is a species-typical behavior that is controlled by neural circuits in the brain.- In humans :...
, males will fill these sacs with drops of urine
Urine
Urine is a typically sterile liquid by-product of the body that is secreted by the kidneys through a process called urination and excreted through the urethra. Cellular metabolism generates numerous by-products, many rich in nitrogen, that require elimination from the bloodstream...
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..
Microbial fermentation in the sac may produce identifiable sent signals pdf
Sac-wing pups have been recorded vocalizing
Animal communication
Animal communication is any behavior on the part of one animal that has an effect on the current or future behaviour of another animal. The study of animal communication, is sometimes called Zoosemiotics has played an important part in the...
various calls and sounds in a jumbled context. For example, a female pup will give the male trill of courting followed by 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...
clicks then adult territorial challenges. These mixed-up vocalizations have been equated with human infant babbling and mispronounced songs
Bird song
Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs are distinguished by function from calls.-Definition:The distinction between songs and calls is based upon...
of young birds. This is the first example of mammal babbling outside of the primate
Primate
A primate is a mammal of the order Primates , which contains prosimians and simians. Primates arose from ancestors that lived in the trees of tropical forests; many primate characteristics represent adaptations to life in this challenging three-dimensional environment...
order.