Little is known about the communication for C. auritus. However, bats in the suborder Microchiroptera,to which C. auritus belongs, use echolocation, in which high-frequency sounds are emitted to communicate and “see." Members of the Phyllostomidae family emit low intensity pulses. Bats will typically emit sounds through their nose or mouth. In the case of C. auritus, it would be more likely that the sounds come out of their mouth due to their small nose size. The signals are not emitted in all directions; little can be sensed behind, above, or below the bat. When the bats receive the frequencies back they can rotate their ears to better hear the sound. Mother bats and infants also communicate using sound and smell, starting shortly after birth. Mothers can identify the vocalization of their infant among many calling newborns.
Communication Channels: acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; ultrasound ; echolocation ; chemical
Big-eared woolly bats are not endangered but deforestation is reducing the area they can live in and may prove to be a problem in future years.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Big-eared woolly bats have no known negative impact on humans.
Big-eared woolly bats contribute to insect control, lowering the need for insecticides. This saves money and decreases the use of toxins.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Big-eared woolly bats help to disperse seeds. They also help to keep insect populations under control.
Ecosystem Impact: disperses seeds; pollinates
Big-eared woolly bats are not exclusively carnivores. In fact, they have a flexible foraging strategy that allows them to eat insects and fruit in addition to extensive consumption of small vertebrates like bats, opossums, mice, birds, lizards, and frogs. Big-eared woolly bats have a diet similar to that of Vampyrum spectrum and Trachops cirrhosus. Big-eared woolly bats have significant seasonal diet changes. In the wet season they eat more insects because they are more abundant. However, age and sex do not have any effect on what they eat.
Big-eared woolly bats use audible cues to help them locate prey as well as other bats. When prey does not move, it is hard for the bat to locate it and thus it loses interest in the prey. The bat wraps its wings around the prey and locks its thumbs together. The bat will then kill the prey with a few quick bites to the throat, if eating a bat or mouse, or the top of the head, if eating a bird. When the prey is dead, the bat will fly to a perch and eat its food usually starting from the head and working its way down. Hard to digest objects such as beaks, feathers, tails, back skin, stomachs, intestines, and wings are rejected by the bat. It can take one to 20 hours for a bat to eat its meal.
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; insects
Plant Foods: fruit
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Insectivore )
Chrotopterus auritus occur in southern Mexico, through Central America, and into northern Argentina.
Biogeographic Regions: neotropical (Native )
Big-eared woolly bats tend to live near streams and other moist areas in forested lowlands, tropical rainforests, tropical deciduous forests, and cloud forests. They have been reported to roost in hollow trees, caves, and even Mayan ruins.
Range elevation: 0 to 2000 m.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest
Other Habitat Features: caves
It is not known how long C. auritus live in the wild or in captivity.
Big-eared woolly bats are large bats in the New World phyllostomid group which includes Phyllostomus hastatus, Phylloderma stenops, and Vampyrum spectrum, the only other bats similar in size. Big-eared woolly bats range from 100 to 112 mm in length with males weighing about 72.7 g and females about 90.5 g. Males also have large glands, often located on the middle of the upper chest, which release scents that serve as sexual identifiers. Females occassionally have these glands as well, but they release no scent. Wings of C. auritus are elliptical in outline with pointed tips and a high wing loading which makes them more maneuverable. The forearm is about 75 to 87 mm in length. Additionally, their tails are very short, with a length of 7 to 17 mm.
Big-eared woolly bats have long (12 mm), soft, dark brown hair on their upper parts and shorter, paler, grayish brown hair on its lower parts. The front of the neck has a small glandular pocket similar to many other species of bats. Their heads are robust, with a wide rostrum and large, separate, ovate ears. They have smooth lips and chin except for a small wart on the center of the lower lip and small elevations on either side of the lips. They have six incisors: four on the top and two on the bottom. The regular W shape pattern of molars in bats is modified on the upper molars. They also have large, curved claws as well as long thumbs used to latch the wings together around prey.
Range mass: 75 to 96 g.
Range length: 100 to 112 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: female larger
There are no known predators of big-eared woolly bats nor any recorded cases of natural death. Most bats are preyed on by owls (Strigiformes) in flight or by snakes (Serpentes) from roosts.
There is little known about the mating system of C. auritus, although it is thought that C. auritus breed and raise a single young before they breed again. It is also not known if C. auritus is polygamous or monogamous, but many other tropical bat species in the family Phyllostomidae form monogamous groups. The time span that these family units remain together is unknown.
Big-eared woolly bats have low reproduction rates, typically having just one offspring per litter. Females have only been reported to be reproductively active during the second half of the year. Pregnant females, however, have been observed from April until July. This is consistent with a monestrous cycle, varying geographically. One female taken into captivity gave birth to a single young after 99 days. They have a maximum gestation period of 220 days and a maximum weaning time of nine months. The age of reproductive maturity is between one and two years.
Breeding interval: Chrotopterus auritus generally have only one offspring per year.
Breeding season: Females are reproductively active only during the second half of the year, but it can vary due to geographical differences. Pregnant females have been observed from April until July.
Average number of offspring: 1.
Range gestation period: 220 (high) days.
Range weaning age: 9 (high) months.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 to 2 years.
Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 to 2 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
It is thought that C. auritus take care of their young until they are able to survive on their own. Care and feeding of young bats is almost entirely the mother’s responsibility. Soon after birth the infant bat attaches to one of the mother’s pectoral mammae and is carried in that position for a week or two, depending on the size of the infant. The mother continues to provide for her pup through weaning and occasionally longer.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The big-eared woolly bat or (Peters's) woolly false vampire bat (Chrotopterus auritus) is a species of bat, belonging to the family Phyllostomidae.
The name Chrotopterus is derived from Greek roots chariots (skin, color), and pteron (wing). The epithet auritus refers to the large ears.[2]
Big-eared woolly bats are very large predatory bats, the second largest bat species in the neotropics. Their body mass typically ranges from 75 to 96 grams (2.6 to 3.4 oz). The length of the forearm ranges from 79 to 83 millimetres (3.1 to 3.3 in). There are only three New World phyllostomid bats of comparable size.[2] The dorsal hair is about 12 millimetres (0.47 in) long, which is longer than that most of phyllostomid species. They also possess two lower incisors, a trait typically shared with smaller bats.
Big woolly-eared bats live in warm subtropical forests, usually roosting in caves and hollow logs, where prey is returned to before consumption. Geographically, they are found in southern parts of Mexico and extend through Northeastern South America, being found as far south as Bolivia.[2] They are typically found in areas that also host many other species of bat.[2]
Big-eared woolly bats have diverse feeding habits. It has been shown to feed primarily on small arthropods and small vertebrates, including fruits, beetles, moths, small mammals (including opossums and rodents), birds (including passerine birds) and even other bat species. Though primarily carnivorous or insectivorous, it has also been known to eat fruit.[3] However, in captivity, they refused to eat fruit, indicating a preference toward meat or insects. Another unique prey item for this species are geckos. This prey item was previously thought to have been only displayed in one other species of New World bat - T. cirrhosis.[4] They are able to take prey of up to 70 grams (2.5 oz) weight, but more commonly feed on smaller vertebrates of 10 to 35 grams (0.35 to 1.23 oz). Prey is not consumed until the bat has returned to its roost and returned to its head-down position.[2]
Big-eared woolly bats fly slowly, partially because of their large size, flying 1 or 2 meters above ground and usually in dense thickets. They are typically either solitary or part of a small group. Colony sizes vary between one and seven individuals, consisting of a male-female adult pair and their pup(s).[5]
Big-eared woolly bats give birth to a single young per reproduction cycle, after a gestation period of more than 100 days. This is the largest parental investment exhibited in a species belonging to the Phyllostomid family. Newborn pups are born roughly 32.5% of the size of the mother, whereas other species in the Phyllostomid family range from 18.6-29.4% of mother size.[5]
The big-eared woolly bat or (Peters's) woolly false vampire bat (Chrotopterus auritus) is a species of bat, belonging to the family Phyllostomidae.
The name Chrotopterus is derived from Greek roots chariots (skin, color), and pteron (wing). The epithet auritus refers to the large ears.
