Underwood’s Bonneted Bat: Eumops Underwoodi

Description Of Underwood’s Bonneted Bat

The Underwood’s Bonneted Bat is sandy brown. This bat is the second largest bat that can be found in the U.S. (1st is the larger mastiff bat) and has a wingspan of 22 inches.

Its long, narrow wings and its shoulder bones and muscles indicate that this bat can fly very quickly, and E. Underwoodi will fly throughout the night. This bat can be easily identified by its free-hanging tail that protrudes from the tail membrane.

Learn More: Mormoopidae Bats

Underwood’s Bonneted Bat Diet

Like many other bat species, Eumops underwoodi are typically insectivores. Common insects this species feeds on includes:

  • Moths
  • Beetles
  • Flies
  • Grasshoppers

Behavior Of Underwood’s Bonneted Bat

This species is not well studied, but a few migration habits have been known. In deserts, Underwood’s bonneted bata roost nearby cacti. Sometimes the bats will hollow out the interior of a cactus and use it as a cool day roosting spot.

In this bat’s northern ranges, populations tend to live in foliage-filled forests. During the winter season, the species will migrate south.

Underwood’s Bonneted Bat Reproduction

It’s believed that a female Underwood’s bonneted bat gives birth to a single baby bat per year.

Habitat Of Underwood’s Bonneted Bat

These bats are found in arid lowlands of North America, including deserts, grasslands, pine-oak, and dry or humid semi-deciduous forests and forest areas. The roost sites in Sonora, Mexico, included woodpecker cavities in saguaro cacti; southern Arizona included the foraging ranges of these cactus-roosting bats.

In Jalisco, Mexico, the roost was in a big hollow tree. A lactating female was present in El Salvador under a royal palm leaf in a park in San Salvador during the day. A dozen were mist-netted over the calm water of a river in Nicaragua. In cliffs, roosting presumably also occurs.

These bats were shot in flight in Arizona or captured in mist networks near tiny reservoirs and ponds. Foraging ranges of radio-tagged individuals included:

  • Desert wilderness flatlands, low hills, and rocky ridges along the Arizona-Sonora border, mesquite-tamarisk riparian forest
  • Agricultural areas
  • Semi-urban areas

A pond in the Mesquite Desert at an altitude of 1,220 meters, about 3.8 kilometers from the nearest low mountain range, was a productive collection site in Arizona. In open areas, these fast-flying bats tend to fly at high altitudes. 1Go To Source explorer.natureserve.org -“Eumops underwoodi Underwood’s Bonneted Bat”

Underwood’s Bonneted Bat Range

  • Guatemala
  • El Salvador
  • Mexico
  • Arizona
  • Nicaragua
  • Belize
  • Honduras
  • Texas
  • New Mexico
  • Costa Rica

 

Sources:

  1. Hammerson, G. “NatureServe Explorer 2.0.” NatureServe Explorer, Hammerson, 24 Mar. 2015, explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.102829/Eumops_underwoodi.