Mexican funnel-eared bat explained

The Mexican funnel-eared bat (Natalus stramineus) is a bat species. Despite its name, it is native to the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean.

Description

The Mexican funnel-eared bat gets its name from its very distinctive funnel-shaped ears. The face has a triangular shape, pale skin, and forward-tilting ears. Both sexes of this species are similar in size, unlike other species. They have brown fur, which becomes darker as it reaches the tip.^[1] They tend to live in deep and very humid caves and have groups from 100 up to 10,000 bats.^[2] Another prime difference in this bat species compared to other, is that the Natalus stramineus has the longest genstation period reported for bats (some seven months). The Mexican funnel-eared bat also has migrant characteristics since it must live in a highly humid environment. If the habitat is not as humid as their liking, their population in that habitat will drop due to many of the bats looking for a more suitable place to call home nearby.^[3] This species displays slower flight speeds than others; as insectivores, the Natalus stramineus needs greater mobility to catch insects in densely vegetated areas.^[4]

Further reading

• Ricardo López-Wilchis, Luis M. Guevara-Chumacero, Neófito ángeles Pérez, Javier Juste, Carlos IbáñEz, and Irene D. L. A. Barriga-Sosa. "Taxonomic status assessment of the Mexican populations of funnel-eared bats, genus Natalus (Chiroptera: Natalidae)", Acta Chiropterologica 14(2), pp. 305–316, January 1, 2012, .
• Adrian Tejedor, "A new species of funnel-eared Bat (Natalidae: Natalus) from Mexico", Journal of Mammalogy, Volume 86, Issue 6, 14 December 2005, pp. 1109–1120,,
• José Williams Torres-Flores and Ricardo López-Wilchis. "Trophic niche and diet of Natalus mexicanus (Chiroptera: Natalidae) in a tropical dry forest of western Mexico", Acta Chiropterologica 20(2), pp. 343–350, February 14, 2019, .

Notes and References

1. Cervantes. 1 F.. New records of mammals from Hidalgo and Guerrero, Mexico. 2004. The Southwestern Naturalist. 49. 122–124. 10.1894/0038-4909(2004)049<0122:NROMFH>2.0.CO;2. 85828399.
2. Arita. 1 HT.. 1995. Natural history, interspecific association and incidence of the cave bats of Yucatan, Mexico. The Southwestern Naturalist. 40. 29–37.
3. Web site: Clay . Mitchell G. . 30 April 1965 . A Natural History Study of The Funnel-Eared Bat, Natalus Stramineus .
4. Web site: Akins . J. B. . Kennedy . M. L. . Schnell . G. D. . Sánchez-Hernández . C. . Romero-Almaraz . M. L. . Wooten . M. C. . Best . T. L. . 1 December 2007 . Flight speeds of three species of Neotropical bats: Glossophaga soricina, Natalus stramineus, and Carollia subrufa .