Emballonuridae - sac-winged bats, sheath-tailed bats

There are around 52 species in this family of small to medium-sized bats. They are found in tropical and subtropical areas in North America, South America, Central America, Asia, Africa, and Australia and surrounding islands.

Sac-winged bats get their name from a scent gland sac on the front edge of the wings of many species. The scent gland is used by the bats to mark their territory. Sheath-tailed bats get their name from a membrane that encloses all but a small bit of their short tails.

The bats in this family have large ears and small eyes and are usually gray or brown. They roost on vertical surfaces like tree trunks, the sides of buildings, cave walls, or cliffsides.

World Status Key
Least Concern Near Threatened Vulnerable Endangered Critically Endangered Extinct in Wild Extinct
Status and range is taken from ICUN Redlist. If no status is listed, there is not enough data to establish status.

US Status Key
Threatened in US Threatened in NH Endangered in US Endangered in NH Introduced
Status taken from US Fish and Wildlife and NH Fish and Game

New Hampshire Species		North/Central American Species
None		Thomas's Sac-winged Bat - Balantiopteryx io Gray Sac-winged Bat - Balantiopteryx plicata Thomas's Shaggy Bat - Centronycteris centralis Chestnut Sac-winged Bat - Cormura brevirostris Short-eared Bat - Cyttarops alecto Northern Ghost Bat - Diclidurus albus Greater Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx kappleri Lesser Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx macrotis Trinidad Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx trinitatis Proboscis Bat - Rhynchonycteris naso Greater Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx bilineata Lesser Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx leptura

Other Species Around the World
Africa Asia Australia/Oceania Europe North/Central America South America NH Species
Ecuadorian Sac-winged Bat - Balantiopteryx infusca Thomas's Sac-winged Bat - Balantiopteryx io Gray Sac-winged Bat - Balantiopteryx plicata Thomas's Shaggy Bat - Centronycteris centralis Shaggy Bat - Centronycteris maximiliani African Sheath-tailed Bat - Coleura afra Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat - Coleura seychellensis Chestnut Sac-winged Bat - Cormura brevirostris Short-eared Bat - Cyttarops alecto Northern Ghost Bat - Diclidurus albus Greater Ghost Bat - Diclidurus ingens Isabelle's Ghost Bat - Diclidurus isabellus Lesser Ghost Bat - Diclidurus scutatus Small Asian Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura alecto Peter's Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura atrata Beccari's Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura beccarii Large-eared Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura dianae New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura furax Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura monticola Raffray's Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura raffrayana Pacific Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura semicaudata Seri's Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura serii Western Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura tiavato Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat - Mosia nigrescens Greater Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx kappleri		White-winged Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx leucoptera Lesser Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx macrotis Trinidad Dog-like Bat - Peropteryx trinitatis Proboscis Bat - Rhynchonycteris naso Yellow-bellied Sheath-tailed Bat - Saccolaimus flaviventris Papuan Sheath-tailed Bat - Saccolaimus mixtus Pel's Pouched Bat - Saccolaimus peli Bare-rumped Sheathtail-bat - Saccolaimus saccolaimus Antioquian Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx antioquensis Greater Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx bilineata Frosted Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx canescens Amazonian Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx gymnura Lesser Sac-winged Bat - Saccopteryx leptura Indonesian Tomb Bat - Taphozous achates Coastal Sheath-tailed Bat - Taphozous australis Common Sheath-tailed Bat - Taphozous georgianus Hamilton's Tomb Bat - Taphozous hamiltoni Hildegarde's Tomb Bat - Taphozous hildegardeae Hill's Sheath-tailed Bat - Taphozous hilli Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat - Taphozous kapalgensis Longed-winged Tomb Bat - Taphozous longimanus Mauritian Tomb Bat - Taphozous mauritianus Black-bearded Tomb Bat - Taphozous melanopogon Naked-rumped Tomb Bat - Taphozous nudiventris Egyptian Tomb Bat - Taphozous perforatus Theobold's Bat - Taphozous theobaldi Troughton's Sheath-tailed Bat - Taphozous troughtoni

Additional Information

Key: Profile Photos Video Audio

Egyptian Tomb Bat - Taphozous perforatus
The Egyptian tomb bat is found in throughout Africa and the Middle East west to India and Pakistan.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Hildegarde's Tomb Bat - Taphozous hildegardeae
Hildegarde's tomb bat is found in Kenya and Tanzania.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Indonesian Tomb Bat - Taphozous achates
The Indonesian tomb bat is also known as the brown -bearded sheath-tailed bat. It is found in Indonesia and East Timor.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Lesser Sheath-tailed Bat - Emballonura monticola
The lesser sheath-tailed bat is found in Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, and Thailand..
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Naked-rumped Tomb Bat - Taphozous nudiventris
The naked-rumped tomb bat is found in northern Africa and the Middle East.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Proboscis Bat - Rhynchonycteris naso
The proboscis bat is found in Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School

Seychelles Sheath-tailed Bat - Coleura seychellensis
Seychelles sheath-tailed bat is found on the isalnds of on the islands of Silhouette, Mahé, and Praslin in the Seychelles.
Source: Arkive Intended Audience: General Reading Level: Middle School