Australian False Vampire Bat

About the Australian False Vampire Bat

The ghost bat (Macroderma gigas) is a species of bat found in northern Australia. It is the only Australian bat that preys on large vertebrates – birds, reptiles and other mammals – which they detect using acute sight and hearing, combined with echolocation, while waiting in ambush at a perch. The wing membrane and bare skin is pale in colour, their fur is light or dark grey over the back and paler at the front. The species has a prominent and simple nose-leaf, with large elongated ears that are joined at the lower half, sharp teeth for attacking prey and large dark eyes.

The first description of the species was published in 1880, since when its recorded range has significantly contracted. A species of Macroderma, one of several genera in the family Megadermatidae (false vampires). The family all have large eyes, a nose-leaf and tragus, long ears joined at the base, and are also found in southern Asia and central Africa. The description was published in 1880 by George Dobson, emerging from an examination of specimens held by the Göttingen Museum. The author compared his specimen to taxa named as species of Megaderma, identifying species Megaderma spasma (lesser false... Wikipedia →