Mammal
Mammal
Davy's Naked-backed Bat
Pteronotus davyi
Davy's Naked-backed Bat is a small, highly social cave bat of Trinidad, named for the way its wing membranes attach along the middle of the back, giving the appearance of a bare strip of skin down the spine when the wings are folded.
Davy's Naked-backed Bat is a small, highly social cave bat of Trinidad, named for the way its wing membranes attach along the middle of the back, giving the appearance of a bare strip of skin down the spine when the wings are folded.
Identification
A small bat with a forearm length of around 40 to 46 mm, reddish-brown to dark brown fur, and wings that meet along the midline of the back rather than at the sides, creating a "naked-backed" appearance when the wings are closed and the fur is parted along the spine. It lacks a nose-leaf, with a relatively simple, unadorned face.
Behaviour
Roosts in large colonies in caves, often alongside other cave-dwelling bat species, and forages at night for flying insects over forest, forest edge, and open areas near roosting sites. Like its close relative the Common Mustached Bat, it uses a refined echolocation system suited to detecting fluttering insect prey.
Status in T&T
Found in caves across Trinidad. Not considered threatened, though sensitive to disturbance of roosting colonies. It is protected as native wildlife under the Conservation of Wildlife Act.
Threats
- Disturbance of cave roosting colonies
