Mammals
Disc-Winged Bat
Thyroptera tricolor · also called Spix's disc-winged bat
Tucked head-up inside a tightly rolled young leaf, a small group of disc-winged bats clings to the smooth interior using suction-cup discs on their wrists and ankles, ready to move together the moment this temporary shelter unfurls.
Overview
The disc-winged bat, Thyroptera tricolor, is a small insect-eating mammal native to rainforest habitat across a range extending from southern Central America through much of tropical South America. Its specialised adhesive wrist and ankle discs, unusual head-up roosting posture, and constant need to relocate between unfurling leaves make it one of the more behaviourally distinctive small bats found anywhere in the Neotropics.
A home that lasts barely a day
Few animals build a life around shelter this temporary, and the disc-winged bat’s entire roosting strategy revolves around finding, occupying, and abandoning a fresh rolled leaf every day or two, held in place the whole time by suction-cup discs found nowhere else among bats.
Status
Least Concern, remaining present across suitable rainforest habitat throughout its range from Central America through South America.
Disc-Winged Bat: common questions
How does the disc-winged bat stick to the inside of a leaf?
This species has specialised suction-cup-like adhesive discs on its wrists and ankles, structures used to cling securely to the smooth inner surface of a tightly rolled leaf, allowing it to roost safely inside a shelter that only lasts a day or two.
Why does the disc-winged bat move roosts so often?
This species must relocate to a newly rolled leaf every day or two as its previous roost leaf naturally unfurls and becomes unsuitable for roosting, making frequent roost relocation a routine and unavoidable part of its life in the rainforest.
How does the disc-winged bat roost differently from most bats?
This species roosts with its head pointed upward inside the rolled leaf, an unusual posture compared with the head-down roosting position used by most other bat species around the world.
Does the disc-winged bat live alone or in groups?
This species typically lives in small, stable social groups that appear to relocate together from leaf to leaf, maintaining group cohesion despite the constant need to find and move into new roosts.