greater sac-winged bat

{{Short description|Species of bat}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2023}}

{{Speciesbox

| name = Greater sac-winged bat

| status = LC | status_system = IUCN3.1

| status_ref = {{cite iucn |author=Solari, S. |date=2015 |title=Saccopteryx bilineata |volume=2015 |page=e.T19804A22004716 |doi=10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-4.RLTS.T19804A22004716.en}}

| image = Sbilineata1.jpg

| genus = Saccopteryx

| species = bilineata

| authority = (Temminck, 1838)

| range_map = Greater Sac-winged Bat area.png

| range_map_caption = Greater sac-winged bat range

}}

The greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) is a bat of the family Emballonuridae native to Central and South America.{{MSW3 Chiroptera | id = 13801042 | page = 390}}

They are the most common bats seen in the rainforest,{{citation needed|date=November 2022}} as they often roost on the outside of large trees. They are insectivores and use echolocation calls through the mouth to track their prey, which includes flies, beetles, butterflies and moths.{{cite web|title=Saccopteryx bilineata (Greater Sac-winged Bat) |url=https://sta.uwi.edu/fst/lifesciences/sites/default/files/lifesciences/documents/ogatt/Saccopteryx_bilineata%20-%20Greater%20Sac-winged%20Bat.pdf|website=The Online Guide to the Animals of Trinidad and Tobago |publisher=UWI}}{{cite web | url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Saccopteryx_bilineata/ | title=Saccopteryx bilineata (Greater sac-winged bat) | website=Animal Diversity Web }} The long nose and upper lip are highly mobile and can shift upward to enlarge the mouth opening.

file:Wingsack.jpg

file:Sbilineata.jpg

The term "sac-winged" refers to small pouches on the wings. These sacs are used by males to attract females and to mark their harem territory. During daily grooming, males will fill these sacs with drops of urine and glandular secretions. During displays for females, the male will hover in front of the female and fan her vigorously to expose her to the scent of the mixture in the wing sacs. Males will also shake the contents of the sac towards bats outside of the male's harem territory to warn off intruders.{{cite journal | last =Voigt | first =CC |author2=von Helversen, O |date=December 1999 | title = Storage and display of odour by male Saccopteryx bilineata (Chiroptera, Emballonuridae) | journal = Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology | volume = 47 | issue =1–2 | pages = 29–40 | doi = 10.1007/s002650050646 | bibcode =1999BEcoS..47...29V | s2cid =11339644 }} Microbial fermentation in the sac may produce identifiable scent signals.{{Cite journal | last1 = Voigt | first1 = C. C. | last2 = Caspers | first2 = B. | last3 = Speck | first3 = S. | title = Bats, Bacteria, and Bat Smell: Sex-Specific Diversity of Microbes in a Sexually Selected Scent Organ | journal = Journal of Mammalogy | volume = 86 | issue = 4 | pages = 745 | year = 2005 | issn = 1545-1542 | doi = 10.1644/1545-1542(2005)086[0745:BBABSS]2.0.CO;2 | doi-access = free }} [http://pine.ucc.nau.edu/cen28/Bats%20and%20Microbes.pdf pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120331121210/http://pine.ucc.nau.edu/cen28/Bats%20and%20Microbes.pdf |date=31 March 2012 }}

Sac-wing pups have been recorded making various calls in a jumbled context. For example, a female pup will give the male trill of courting followed by echolocation clicks then adult territorial challenges. These mixed-up vocalizations have been equated with human infant babbling and mispronounced songs of young birds. This is the first example of mammal babbling outside of the primate order.{{cite journal|last=Knornschild|first=M|author2=Behr O|author3=von Helversen O|date=September 2006|title=Babbling behavior in the sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata)|journal=Naturwissenschaften|volume=93|issue=9|pages=451–4|doi=10.1007/s00114-006-0127-9|pmid=16736178|s2cid=33556162}}{{listen|filename=Saccopteryx_bilineata_scenting_call.wav|title=Saccopteryx bilineata scenting display call (slow-mo)|description=Recorded at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station}}