Small Asian Sheath-tailed Bat

About this species

Size

One reported colony: forearm 45–49mm

Weight

One reported colony: 6–7g

Diet

Insects

Habitat

Caves, tunnels, rock shelters, crevices, secondary forest and farmland

Range

Borneo, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and the Philippines

The Philippine sheath-tailed bat is a small insect-eating emballonurid. Its tail emerges through the upper surface of the tail membrane at roughly half its length, the family feature behind the sheath-tailed name. The ears are short, separate and triangular, with rounded tragi, while the eyes are very small. One documented colony contained bats with 45–49 mm forearms and masses of 6–7 g, figures that describe that sample rather than the full species (Francis and Payne account; Bat Research News field report).

Roosts have been found in caves, artificial tunnels, rock shelters and shallow spaces beneath boulders, overhangs and inside crevices. Cave animals favour partly lit twilight zones rather than the deepest chambers. The species also occurs in secondary forest and agricultural landscapes up to 1,000 m, and a Philippine wing study found a form suited to manoeuvring through clutter while catching moving prey. Its range includes Borneo, Sulawesi, the Moluccas and the Philippines (Tanalgo et al.; Francis and Payne account; Wikipedia general species account).

Description: Wildlife of sulawesi guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)