Overview
Distribution
Range Description
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Geographic Range
Macroderma gigas or the Ghost Bat is found in Northern Australia where it has a scattered distribution. It is found north of 29°S in Western Australia, Northern Territories, and Queensland.
(Ride 1970, Strahan 1983)
Biogeographic Regions: australian (Native )
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Physical Description
Morphology
Physical Description
SIZE: Head and body length is 10 to 13cm and forearm length is 10.2 to 11.2cm. Females are smaller than males.
WEIGHT: 130 to 170 grams.
Ghost Bats have a light grey, almost white, appearance and large long ears that are joined at the base. The head and body measure up to 130 mm with a wingspan of about 500 mm.
In the Pilbara district of Western Australia, Ghost Bats are of the pale 'ghostly' desert form with ashy-grey back and white under-parts. Juveniles are sooty-grey all over. In the northern part of their range, especially in Kimberley, Arnhem Land, and around Rockhampton in Queensland, adult Ghost Bats are a dark sooty-grey.
(Nowak 1991, Ride 1970, Strahan 1983)
Range mass: 130 to 170 g.
Range length: 115 to 130 mm.
Average length: 127.50 mm.
Average wingspan: 500 mm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Average basal metabolic rate: 0.639 W.
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Ecology
Habitat
Habitat and Ecology
Ghost bats move between a number of caves seasonally or as dictated by weather conditions. Thus they require a range of cave sites (Hutson et al. 2001). Most maternity sites appear to require multiple entranced caves (L. Hall pers. comm.). Maternity colonies are limited within the range of this species, and include mines, especially in the Pilbara. Generation length is probably around four years and recruitment is very low (L. Hall pers. comm.).
Systems
- Terrestrial
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Habitat
Ghost Bats have been recorded in both arid regions (Pilbara region) and rainforest areas (north Queensland). Macroderma gigas roost in caves, old mine tunnels and in deep cracks in rocks. They usually roost in colonies but, because many of their roosting sites are being destroyed, it is rare to find large colonies. Ghost Bats are distributed widely but patchily across the northern half of Australia and are found in a variety of tropical habitats. Perhaps the species' most famous roosting and nesting sites, and largest colonies, are at Mount Etna caves, near Rockhampton in Queensland.
(Nowak 1991, Ride 1970, Strahan 1983)
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: forest ; rainforest ; scrub forest
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Trophic Strategy
Food Habits
Macroderma gigas is Australia's only carnivorous bat, eating large insects, reptiles, frogs, birds, small mammals, and sometimes other bat species. Much of this prey is captured on the ground. Ghost Bats drop on mammals from above, enveloping them with their flight membranes, and kill them with bites about the head and neck. They eat large amounts of food including flesh, bones, teeth, fur, small feathers, and the chitinous exoskeletons of insects. Ghost Bats appear to need this roughage in their diet because if they are fed on boneless meat in captivity they soon become distressed and fouled with loose excreta.
(Ride 1970)
Animal Foods: birds; mammals; amphibians; reptiles; insects
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats terrestrial vertebrates, Insectivore )
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Associations
Ecosystem Roles
Ghost bats are important predators of small mammals, birds, and reptiles in the areas in which they live.
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Predation
Ghost bats have few natural predators, though larger owls may take them at night and young may fall prey to roost predators, such as snakes. Medium-sized owls compete for insects and small mammals.
(Nowak 1991)
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Known prey organisms
Insecta
Amphibia
Reptilia
Aves
Mammalia
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 16, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://www.animaldiversity.org
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Life History and Behavior
Life Expectancy
Lifespan/Longevity
Information on lifespan in this species is lacking.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 22.6 years.
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Lifespan, longevity, and ageing
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Reproduction
Reproduction
Little is known about mating in ghost bats.
Mating takes place in July and August. Gestation lasts about three months and females bear a single young between September and November. Sexual maturity is attained in the second year of life. (Nowak, 1991, Ride 1970, Strahan 1983)
Breeding season: Mating takes place in July and August, births occur from September to November.
Range number of offspring: 1 (low) .
Average number of offspring: 1.
Average gestation period: 3 months.
Average weaning age: 3 months.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (Internal ); viviparous
Average number of offspring: 1.
Mothers form nursery colonies separate from the males while the young are being weaned. While the young are still suckling, they are left in the roost while the females go out to hunt. Juveniles then hunt with their mothers until they become completely independent. Young begin flying at 7 weeks and become weaned by the March following their birth. (Ride 1970, Strahan 1983)
Parental Investment: altricial ; female parental care
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Conservation
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List Assessment
Red List Category
Red List Criteria
Version
Year Assessed
Assessor/s
Reviewer/s
Contributor/s
Justification
History
- 1996Vulnerable(Baillie and Groombridge 1996)
- 1994Vulnerable(Groombridge 1994)
- 1990Vulnerable(IUCN 1990)
- 1988Vulnerable(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1988)
- 1986Vulnerable(IUCN Conservation Monitoring Centre 1986)
- 1982Vulnerable(Thornback and Jenkins 1982)
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Conservation Status
Ghost Bats are sensitive to disturbance. Human intruders to a cave colony may cause the group to become nervous and leave. Many roost caves have been destroyed or are threatened by mining activity. Disturbance and loss of roosting sites due to mining, tourism and internal dereliction of mines through aging of timber supports are known threats. In recent times population declines could be attributable to competition for prey with feral cats, and prey lost through habitat modification by fire and livestock
Ghost Bats are protected by national legislation in Australia.
(UNEP 2001)
US Migratory Bird Act: no special status
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: vulnerable
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Trends
Population
Population Structure:
The species has undergone a major population genetic analysis, with nearly all major known localities included with the exception of the Kimberley, Western Australia and some Northern Territory populations. These studies have shown that Macroderma gigas populations are highly structured, being genetically distinct at both regional and local scales (Worthington-Wilmer et al. 1994, 1999; Armstrong et al. in prep). Populations at the southern limits of the species range are geographically isolated separated by a minimum distance of 300 km. This geographic isolation is reflected in the genetic data with populations at Mt Etna, Cape Hillsborough, and Camooweal in Queensland and the Pilbara in Western Australia being highly divergent genetically and implies virtually no movement of individuals among these sites (Worthington-Wilmer et al. 1999). Recently expanded studies within the Pilbara have revealed strong structure between eastern and western populations (Armstrong et al. in prep). Populations within the Northern Territory and far north Queensland are also highly distinct from each other and other population centres, however, there is less structure among populations within these regions with the data implying greater connectivity occurring via male mediated gene flow (Worthington-Wilmer et al. 1999). While only two samples were obtained from the Kimberley region, one caught in the far west (Tunnel Creek) the other in the east (Cave Springs near Kununurra), sequence data showed the Kimberley bats were distinct not only from all other Australian populations but also from each other (Worthington-Wilmer 1996).
Population Trend
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Threats
Threats
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Management
Conservation Actions
Current management activities take into account the results of population genetic studies, which have shown that colonies constitute separate metapopulations (Worthington-Wilmer et al. 1994, 1999). Activities include a captive breeding programme, long-term population studies and monitoring in Queensland, and population studies in Western Australia. In the late 1980s, a massive international campaign to prevent destruction of caves used by this bat at Mount Etna failed and this population has subsequently declined.
The species was evaluated in a Recovery Outline published in "The Action Plan for Australian Bats" (Duncan et al. 1999). That Action Plan downgraded the category of threat from Vulnerable to Lower Risk (near threatened) due to supposed uncertainty regarding the genetic boundaries for many of the known maternity sites and the inability to match Macroderma gigas to IUCN criteria. In 2001, apparently in response to the comments in the Action Plan, the species was delisted from the category of Vulnerable by the Australian federal government Threatened Species Scientific Committee, and no longer falls under the protection of the Commonwealth Government’s endangered species legislation. Legislation, however, in at least two of the three range states (Western Australia and Queensland) maintains Macroderma gigas in threatened or vulnerable categories (J. Worthington-Wilmer pers. comm.).
There is a need for increased regulation of cave tourism and visitation (B. Thomson pers. comm.). Mining companies are increasingly inserting non-barbed wire fences in crucial sections to avoid mortality (N. McKenzie pers. comm.). Identification and direct protection of unprotected maternity colonies is a priority. More ecological research and particularly identification of maternity sites is necessary (L. Lumsden pers. comm.).
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Relevance to Humans and Ecosystems
Benefits
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no significant negative effects of ghost bats.
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Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Ghost bats are important in the control of rodents, especially introduced house mice, and other small mammals. They also produce guano, which can be used as a fertilizer.
Positive Impacts: produces fertilizer; controls pest population
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Wikipedia
Ghost Bat
The Ghost Bat (Macroderma gigas), also known as the False Vampire Bat is a bat endemic to Australia, named for the extremely thin membrane of its wings that makes it appear ghostly at night. Ghost Bats have grey fur on their backs and pale grey or white fur on their undersides. They have long, narrow wings but no tail, averaging 11 cm in length. Females are generally smaller than males. The adaptations of the ghost bats: They have large ears for long distance hearing, and very sharp teeth so they can attack prey.
The Ghost Bat is the only carnivorous bat in Australia and is also one of the largest microbats in the world.[2] It is largely insectivorous but will also consume frogs, lizards, and other small animals, including other bats. It hunts by sight as well as with echolocation. After killing its prey with its powerful bite, it carries it to a feeding perch to eat.
Ghost Bats inhabit northern Australia, from the east to the west coast. They roost in caves, mines, and tunnels in small colonies, usually of less than a hundred bats.
There are about 4000 to 6000 Ghost Bats in the wild. Females give birth to one young in September or November once every year. Ghost bats are considered to be vulnerable; their numbers declining due to the destruction of caves for mining, habitat clearing for agricultural use, and even cave tourism.
References
- ^ BirdLife International (2008). Macroderma gigas. In: IUCN 2008. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 24 February 2010.
- ^ Walker, Matt (3 June 2009). "'Nature's ghosts' caught on film". Earth News (BBC). http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8079000/8079476.stm. Retrieved 24 February 2010.
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