Greater Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx bilineata
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderChiroptera (Ratpenats)
- FamilyEmballonuridae (Sheath-tailed Bats)
- GenusSaccopteryx
- SpeciesSaccopteryx bilineata (Greater Sac-winged Bat)
The greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) is a bat of the family Emballonuridae native to Central and South America. They are common bats seen in the rainforest, as they often roost on the outside of large trees. They are insectivores and use echolocation calls through the mouth to track their prey, which includes flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. 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. These sacs are used by males to attract females and to mark their harem territory. Wikipedia →
Closest Relatives at Main Ridge Forest Reserve
Lesser Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx leptura
Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus jamaicensis
Miller's long-tongued bat
Glossophaga longirostris
Flat-faced Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus planirostris
Seba's Short-tailed Bat
Carollia perspicillata
Geoffroy's tailless bat
Anoura geoffroyi
Gervais's Fruit Eating Bat
Artibeus cinereus
Attenborough's Myotis
Myotis attenboroughi
wrinkle-faced bat
Centurio senex
little big-eared bat
Micronycteris megalotis
Hairy Big-eyed Bat
Chiroderma villosum
Great Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus lituratus
📅 Monthly Probability
Fewer than 5 records of Greater Sac-winged Bat at Main Ridge Forest Reserve — not enough to chart months honestly.
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there