Mammals
Greater Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx bilineata
Clinging to the buttress of a rainforest tree in daylight, a male greater sac-winged bat hovers in front of his roost, fanning perfume from his wing pouches and singing to his harem.
Overview
The greater sac-winged bat, Saccopteryx bilineata, is a Least Concern insect-eating bat of lowland tropical forest from Mexico to Brazil. Its wing-pouch perfumes, territorial songs, and babbling pups make it one of the most closely studied social bats in the Neotropics.
A bat with a social voice
Scientists have studied the greater sac-winged bat’s songs and the babbling of its pups as a rare case of vocal learning in a mammal other than humans.
Status
Least Concern, widespread and common across a large range.
Greater Sac-winged Bat: common questions
Why is it called a sac-winged bat?
Males carry small sacs in the wing membrane in which they mix a scent that they fan toward females.
Do young sac-winged bats babble?
Yes, the pups babble in repeated syllables much as human infants do, a form of vocal practice.
Where does the greater sac-winged bat roost?
It roosts in daylight in rows on the buttresses of trees and on walls, near the entrances of hollows.
Where is the greater sac-winged bat found?
It lives in lowland tropical forest from southern Mexico through Central America to Brazil.