False vampire bat

The spectral bat (Vampyrum spectrum), also called the great false vampire bat or Linnaeus's false vampire bat, is a large, carnivorous leaf-nosed bat found in Mexico, Central America, and South America.It is the only member of the genus Vampyrum; its closest living relative is the big-eared woolly bat.It is the largest bat species in the New World, as well as the largest carnivorous bat: its wingspan is 0.7–1.0 m (2.3–3.3 ft).It has a robust skull and teeth, with which it delivers a powerful bite to kill its prey.Birds are frequent prey items, though it may also consume rodents, insects, and other bats. Unlike the majority of bat species, it is monogamous.Colonies consist of an adult male and female and their offspring.The adult male will bring food back to the roost to provision the adult female and their offspring.Colonies generally roost in tree hollows, though individuals may roost in caves.Due to habitat destruction and its low population density, it is listed as a near-threatened species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The spectral bat was described in 1758 by Swedish zoologist Carl Linnaeus.The holotype was collected in South America by Daniel Rolander.Linnaeus assigned it to the genus Vespertilio, which he classified as a kind of primate.Its species name 'spectrum' is from Latin meaning 'apparition' or 'specter.' The genus Vampyrum was not described until 1815 by Constantine Samuel Rafinesque.The genus and species names were not used in their current combination until biologist George Gilbert Goodwin did so in 1942.'Vampyrum' is a New Latin derivative of vampire, thus named because it was once erroneously believed that the species was sanguivorous and consumed blood. Based on mitochondrial DNA and the RAG2 gene, the spectral bat is most closely related to the monotypic genus Chrotopterus (the big-eared woolly bat).Vampyrum and Chroptopterus diverged from other leaf-nosed bat species approximately 20.75 million years ago, with the two genera diverging from each other 14.35 million years ago.The spectral and big-eared woolly bats likely evolved from an insectivorous ancestor. The spectral bat is included within the subfamily Phyllostominae, which includes species of diverse feeding strategies, including carnivory, insectivory and mixed insectivory/frugivory.The spectral and big-eared woolly bats are the two extant members of the tribe Vampyrini.Vampyrini additionally includes the extinct genus Notonycteris.Based on dental characteristics, Czaplewski and Morgan additionally included the fringe-lipped bat (genus Trachops) and sometimes the round-eared bats (genus Lophostoma) in Vampyrini. The spectral bat is the largest bat species native to the New World and the largest carnivorous bat in the world.The wingspan typically ranges from 0.7–1.0 m (2.3–3.3 ft).Its forearm length is 101–110 mm (4.0–4.3 in).Its body length is 135–147 mm (5.3–5.8 in) and its mass is 134–189 g (4.7–6.7 oz).Its wings, though large in an absolute sense, are short relative to its body size.The wings are wide, though, creating a large surface area.Its wingtips are rounded and almost squarish.The thumbs are long, at 21.4–22.2 mm (0.84–0.87 in).Each of its thumbs has a large, recurved claw that is grooved, similar to those of cats.Its back fur is reddish-brown, long, and soft, while its belly fur is shorter and paler.The forearm is furred on the half closer to the body, but naked on the half closer to the wrist and fingers.