Pale Spear-Nosed Bat

COMMON NAME: Pale Spear-Nosed Bat 

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Phyllostomus discolor 

TYPE: Mammal 

DIET: Omnivore  

GROUP NAME: Cauldron 

AVERAGE LIFE SPAN IN THE WILD: up to 10 years 

SIZE: body= 3-4 inches, wingspan= 2 feet 

WEIGHT: 1-1.5 oz 

Pale Spear-Nosed bats are widespread over Central America and South America. They extend from Mexico to Peru in the south and are also found in Bolivia, Paraguay, Brazil, Trinidad, and Tobago. These bats are found in relatively low-lying moist and dry terrestrial areas including croplands such as banana plantations, forested areas, orchards and dark caves. They roost in tree hollows or cotton trees with groups of around 25. Being nocturnal, they are most active at night and often search for food in groups. Phyllostomus discolor is omnivorous, feeding in groups and eating things such as nectar, pollen, flowers, fruit, insects and frogs. They depend on vision and echolocation for locating food. 

This bat has been found in colonies of up to 400 individuals in Trinidad. The current population trend is stable. Omnivorous bats like P. discolor are affected by logging, and surprisingly, selective logging promotes greater species abundance compared to undisturbed forests. Community diversity is also increased due to logging with rare species found after regeneration of logged forests and predominant species reduced. Ecosystems are negatively affected since these bats are known pollinators. As of July 2015, they were classified as least concern on the IUCN red list due to large and slowly decreasing population growth rate. No major threats to the species are known and they are also conserved in protected areas. 

Information on the Pale Spear-Nosed Bat is courtesy of the Mammalian Species Journal.