Predators Habitat Up close Communal Roosts NT Conservation Status Distribution Threats Ghost Bat , Macroderma gigas Head and body 100-130cmmm Forearm 96-113mm Weight 140-165g Identification Ghost Bats have grey fur on their The largest recorded breeding colony of M. gigas is at a gold mine named Kohinoor at the Top End. The Queensland and South Australian state registers note the species as endangered and in Western Australia it is classified as vulnerable to threatening factors. [19], The voice is audible to humans, one sound resembles the avian species Petrochelidon ariel (fairy martin) and transliterated as 'dirrup dirrup'. [10][7] The name ghost bat derives from its distinct colouring, the predominant colour of its fur may be near white or pale grey. [5] The epithet gigas (giant) denotes it as the largest species in the family (Hudson, 1986). The damage caused by the barbed wire strands, often left littering their environment, is greatly increased as the individual become entangled as it attempts to dislodge itself. [14] Other workers have recorded and confirmed reports of Macroderma gigas preying on rodents caught in their pitfall traps. [28] [22] The bat has good vision for a microchiropteran, and echolocation is also utilised to directly locate approaching prey. Ghost Faced Bat Fact Sheet ... Habitat. [32], Built environments may be used as feeding grounds,[6] but the ghost bat selects daytime roosts in caves, sheltered rock crevices, boulder piles or disused mines; occupation of abandoned buildings is only occasionally reported. [21] They are also able to detect the echolocation signals of the microbats on which they prey. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Collection, Australian Museum Research Institute (AMRI), Natural Sciences research and collections, Australian Museum Lizard Island Research Station, 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prizes finalists, 2020 Australian Museum Eureka Prize winners, Become a volunteer at the Australian Museum. [20] They are occur around Shoalwater Bay at the east coast. This ability, coupled with the ability to navigate at night by using a system of acoustic orientation (echolocation), has made the bats a highly diverse and populous order. [7], A study of the avian prey of the bat revealed that over fifty species of birds are targeted, in a range of sizes but a preference for those weighing less than 35 grams. These congregations include introduced species, cane toad Rhinella marina, feral cats and foxes, and natives such as pythons, birds of prey, quolls and large frogs of genus Litoria. Ghost Bats are dis­trib­uted widely but patchily across the north­ern half of Aus­tralia and are found in a va­ri­ety of trop­i­cal habi­tats. Check out the What's On calendar of events, workshops and school holiday programs. The Ghost Bat’s wing span is up to 60 cm wide. This scattering into small sets of populations greatly raises the threat of extinction to the species. Habitat loss, fire, feral cats, mining, caving Insectivorous (insect eating) micro-bats will eat around 50-75% of their body weight each night – sometimes this can be as much as 1200 mosquitoes every hour! The author compared his specimen to taxa named as species of Megaderma, identifying species Megaderma spasma (lesser false vampire bat) as the closest in resemblance. later which feeds from a nipple in . The possession of anterior teats allows the new born to cling to the mother until the milk teeth are shed. The interfemoral membrane extends the wing surface between the length of the legs. 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