Spectral Bat

Vampyrum spectrum

The largest bat in the Western Hemisphere. Hunts birds and rodents in Neotropical rainforest, monogamous.

Population: Unknown/difficult to assess; rare and patchily recorded, but population trend is assessed as decreasing (suspected ~20% decline over the last 15-20 years per Bat Conservation International, driven by forest fragmentation/destruction)
Habitat: Lowland tropical/subtropical evergreen rainforest and moist forest below ~1,650 m elevation, usually near rivers or streams; also secondary growth, swampy areas, forest edges, and occasionally pastures, orchards, or hollow trees near human structures
Fun fact: Despite its intimidating "false vampire bat" nickname, the Spectral Bat is the largest bat species in the New World and is a carnivorous predator of birds and small mammals rather than a blood-feeder.
Range: Central and South America: from southern Mexico through Central America (Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica) to central Brazil (including Cerrado), Bolivia, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Guianas, and Trinidad and Tobago
Diet: Exclusively carnivorous; preys mainly on birds (doves, cuckoos, groove-billed anis, and other non-perching birds weighing 20-150g), also rodents, other bat species, and some large insects (e.g. beetles); despite the "false vampire" name, it does not feed on blood
Size: 0.14 m
Wingspan: 0.85 m
Lifespan: 8 years

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