Thumbless Bat

About the Thumbless Bat

The thumbless bat (Furipterus horrens) is a species of insectivorous bat in the family Furipteridae, in the monotypic genus Furipterus. They have a small thumb which is included in the membrane of the wing, causing the 'thumbless' appearance.

The thumbless bat belongs to the family Furipteridae (Mammalia: Chiroptera) which is currently composed of only two genera: Amorphochilus and Furipterus. Both genera are monotypic. The first description of the species was proposed by Frédéric Cuvier in 1828, separating the taxon to a new genus Furia. The taxon was reassigned to Furipterus in 1839 by Charles Bonaparte.

The thumbless bat is found in Central and South America. Its range includes Costa Rica, Panama, southern Brazil and Bolivia. as well as Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Suriname, French Guiana, Guyana, Panama, Trinidad, and Peru. In Brazil, it was recorded in twelve different regions covering the Amazon, Caatinga, Cerrado and Atlantic Forest biomes.

Its populations are rare and very local, but widespread. Male and female bats may live separately during some parts of the year. There were found more than 60 males occupying... Wikipedia →