Adult male Phyllostomus hastatus, captured on 30 July 2024 in the Lacandona rain forest, Chipas, Mexico. A) Facial view. B) Forearm length measurement. Credit: Check List (2025). DOI: 10.15560/21.4.652
Along the banks of the Lacantún River, a hollow tree hid two creatures never before reported in Mexico.
Just a stone’s throw from an “extensive, well‑preserved tract of tropical rain forest,” two Phyllostomus hastatus, also known as the greater spear-nosed bat, were roosting in the trunk of the large Ceiba pentandra, or Kapok tree, according to a study published in the journal Check List.
The sighting extends the species’ known range by about 75 miles northwest from its closest occurrence in Alta Verapaz, Guatemala, the study said. This is also the first time the species has been documented using Kapok trees to roost, according to the study.
Features that tipped researchers off to the fact that they were looking at a new-to-the-area species included their well-developed nose leaves, used for echolocation, the presence of tails, a large forearm length of up to 3 inches and their dark brown skin and fur, the study said.
The greater spear-nosed bat, considered a “large-bodied” species, is the second-largest bat species in the Neotropics, according to the study. Their “large and well-developed” wings allow them to cover great distances, researchers said.
Researchers recommend the species be added to Mexico’s list of protected and threatened species, considering this may be the only population in the country.
The study notes that conservation efforts are even more urgent considering the extensive deforestation of the Lacandona rain forest, citing human encroachment and illegal resource extraction.
The bats were discovered in Chiapas, located at the southern tip of Mexico near the border of Guatemala.
The research team included J. Manuel Aranda-Coello, L. Arturo Hernández-Mijangos and Manuel Weber.
More information:
J. Manuel Aranda-Coello et al, First records of Phyllostomus hastatus (Pallas, 1767) (Chiroptera, Phyllostomidae), Greater Spear-nosed Bat, in Mexico, Check List (2025). DOI: 10.15560/21.4.652
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‘Large’ furry creatures found in Mexico rain forest in first-of-its-kind sighting (2025, July 15)
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