| Miller's mastiff bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Molossidae |
| Genus: | Molossus |
| Species: | M. pretiosus |
| Binomial name | |
| Molossus pretiosus Miller, 1902 | |
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| Miller's mastiff bat range | |
Miller's mastiff bat (Molossus pretiosus) is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guyana, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. [1]
Miller’s mastiff bat has a limited distribution and tends to inhabit isolated regions. This particular species of mastiff bat is native to Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Its main habitat is lowlands. [2]
Miller’s mastiff bats have a powerfully built body, with a broad body frame and narrow wings. They have a thick mandible in comparison to other mastiff bats. They have a distinctive cusp shaped pattern on their molars and lack their third premolar. [3] Males tend to be larger than females. Full grown, an adult mastiff bat ranges from about 20 to 28 grams. [4] At birth, Miller’s mastiff bat is only about one-quarter its adult weight. [5] Miller’s mastiff bat had a variable fur coat color; ranging from black to a reddish color. The mastiff bat’s chest is speckled with white fur, and has black ears. [6] [7]
Miller’s mastiff bat lives in open areas, mainly in grassland habitats. They have also been observed to build their roosts in caves, dry woodlands, roof dwellings, and thorn scrub. [8] They tend to live in areas by a river, lake, or watering hole. Water is important for drinking and foraging behaviors. [9] They are nocturnal, and start to become active at dusk, which coincides with the time when their food source becomes active. They tend to fly in a single file line to their destination. Their main food source are insects, such as beetles and moths. [10]
Miller's mastiff bat is listed as a Least Concern species with a low risk of becoming extinct. This is due to its ability to adapt to changing habitats and the distribution of habitats it occupies. It is also located in a number of protected areas. There are no known threats to Miller's mastiff bat. [1]
The Molossidae, or free-tailed bats, are a family of bats within the order Chiroptera. The Molossidae is the fourth-largest family of bats, containing about 110 species as of 2012. They are generally quite robust, and consist of many strong-flying forms with relatively long and narrow wings with wrinkled lips shared through their genus. Their strong flying form allows them to fly 60 miles per hour using tail winds and at altitudes over 10,000 feet. This makes them unique among bats, as they are the only bat family that withstands the elevation. They are widespread, being found on every continent except Antarctica. They are typically found in caves, abandoned mines, or tunnels.
Molossus is a genus of bats. The genus contains ten species with a New World distribution from Mexico in the north to northern Argentina at its most southerly limit. Four of these species have distributions that include various islands in the West Indies such as Puerto Rico or Trinidad.
Wagner's bonneted bat or Wagner's mastiff bat, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found in the Americas from Argentina and Peru north to Mexico, and Cuba. Populations in Florida in the United States are now recognized as the Florida bonneted bat
The Colombian bonneted bat, also known as Trumbull's bonneted bat, is a bat species from South America. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela.
The dwarf dog-faced bat is a species of free-tailed bat from South America. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay, typically at lower elevations. It is one of two species in the genus Molossops, the other being the rufous dog-faced bat. Three subspecies are often recognized, though mammalogist Judith Eger considers it monotypic with no subspecies. It is a small free-tailed bat, with a forearm length of 28.9–32.5 mm (1.14–1.28 in) and a weight of 5–8 g (0.18–0.28 oz); males are larger than females. It is brown, with paler belly fur and darker back fur. Its wings are unusual for a free-tailed bat, with exceptionally broad wingtips. Additionally, it has low wing loading, meaning that it has a large wing surface area relative to its body weight. Therefore, it flies more similarly to a vesper bat than to other species in its own family. As it forages at night for its insect prey, including moths, beetles, and others, it uses two kinds of frequency-modulated echolocation calls: one type is to navigate in open areas and to search for prey, while the other type is used for navigating in cluttered areas or while approaching a prey item.
The Bonda mastiff bat or Thomas's mastiff bat, is a species of mastiff bat from South and Central America. It is named for the town of Bonda, near Santa Marta in Colombia.
The velvety free-tailed bat or Pallas's mastiff bat, is a bat species in the family Molossidae.
The black mastiff bat is a bat species. It ranges from the northern region of South America, most of Central America and parts of southern Mexico.
The big crested mastiff bat, is a bat species from South and Central America.
The Para dog-faced bat, also called the brown dog-faced bat, is a South American bat species of the family Molossidae. It is found in Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, French Guiana, Brazil, and northern Argentina.
Eumops is a genus of bats in the family Molossidae. A total of 17 species of this genus have been described. The name "Eumops" comes from the Greek prefix "Eu-", meaning "good" or "true," and the Malayan word "mops," which means bat.
Ozimops planiceps is a small bat in the family Molossidae, native to Australia and Indonesia.
The little goblin bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, the free-tailed bats. It is endemic to Cuba.
The Sinaloan mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America.
The Egyptian free-tailed bat, also known as Egyptian guano bat or Egyptian nyctinome, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae.
The thumbless bat is a species of insectivorous bat in the family Furipteridae, in the monotypic genus Furipterus. It is found in Costa Rica, Brazil, Venezuela; Colombia; Ecuador; Suriname; French Guiana; Guyana; Panama; Trinidad, and Peru. They have a small thumb which is included in the membrane of the wing, causing the 'thumbless' appearance.
The Aztec mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. It is found from Jalisco and Cozumel Island in southern Mexico to Nicaragua in a variety of forest habitats at elevations from near sea level to 1300 m. It has also been reported from southern Venezuela. The species' diet is insectivorous.
The Coiban mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae. Its range extends from Chiapas in southern Mexico to Mato Grosso in Brazil, including Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The taxonomic status of the populations in Central America is uncertain. The species is insectivorous and is known from a variety of forest habitats at elevations from near sea level to 1300 m.
The Florida bonneted bat or Florida mastiff bat is a species of bat in the genus Eumops, the bonneted bats or mastiff bats. Until recently, it was classified as a subspecies of Wagner's bonneted bat . It is endemic to southern Florida in the United States. This species has one of the smallest geographical distributions of any New World bat. It has been called "one of the most critically endangered mammal species in North America". It is protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Molossus alvarezi, or Alvarez's mastiff bat, is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, native to the Yucatán Peninsula. It lives within a relative homogenous environment within perennial forests, low forests, and a band of xeric vegetation.
