| Hairy yellow-shouldered bat | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Chiroptera |
| Family: | Phyllostomidae |
| Genus: | Sturnira |
| Species: | S. erythromos |
| Binomial name | |
| Sturnira erythromos (Tschudi, 1844) | |
 | |
Thehairy yellow-shouldered bat (Sturnira erythromos) is a species ofbat in the familyPhyllostomidae native toSouth America. There are no recognised subspecies.
The hairy yellow-shouldered bat is a small bat, on average measuring only 5.5 cm (2.2 in) in total length, and weighing 16 g (0.56 oz). The body is covered in soft, dark brown hair, and the wings are almost black. Despite the name, only a few individuals have yellow fur on the shoulders, which are usually the same colour as the rest of the body. The animal has a short, almost hairless snout and a rounded cranium, with a dark patch of fur on the forehead.[2]
The wings are long, broad, and pointed, and theuropatagium is almost absent. The hairy yellow-shouldered bat has no tail, and also lacks the spurs on the legs that help support the uropatagium on most other bat species. The ears are short and rounded, and the eyes large. Thenose-leaf is also relatively simple in structure, being broad and short, with the 'horseshoe' typical of phyllostomid bats beings fused to the upper lip. A single row ofwhiskers rises from a fused pad around the nose-leaf.[2]
Hairy yellow-shouldered bats are native to theAndes, being found from northernArgentina toVenezuela. They primarily inhabit tropicalcloud forests and high altituderain forests, but may also be found in drier forests or montane grasslands during at least some times of the year. Although they can be found at relatively low altitude in Argentina, throughout most of their range they are found between 1,135 and 3,500 m (3,724 and 11,483 ft) elevation, living higher the closer they are to the equator.[2]
Hairy yellow-shouldered bats arefrugivorous, with their favoured food being the fruit ofpepper plants and various species ofSolanum.[3] They are nocturnal, spending the day roosting in hollow trees.[4]
Compared with other tropical species, the bats are adapted to a relatively cold climate, being able to reduce their body temperature when the ambient temperature drops below 25 °C (77 °F).[4] At least in Argentina, the breeding season begins in July, with young being born between November and January. Mothers give birth to a single young.[2]
