Preserved in Alcohol
The label in the image describes this as the Lesser Vampire (Vampyrus auritus). Today this mammal is actually known to be the big-eared woolly bat or (Peter's) woolly false vampire bat (Chrotopterus auritus). The label goes on to say that the specimen was recovered from Brazil and presented to the Natural History Museum in London by Dr C Peters in 1870. It is preserved in alcohol in a glass case. I love that the detail of the wing membranes remain so well defined.
The name Chrotopterus is derived from Greek roots chariots (skin, colour), and pteron (wing). The epithet auritus refers to the large ears. Big-eared woolly bats are very large predatory bats, the second largest bat species in the neotropics. Their body mass typically ranges from 75 to 96 grams. The length of the forearm ranges from 78.7 to 83.1 mm. There are only three New World phyllostomid bats of comparable size. The dorsal hair is about 12mm long, which is longer than most of species in the Phyllostomids. They also possess two lower incisors, a trait typically shared with smaller bats.
This bat species lives in warm sub-tropical forests, usually roosting in caves and hollow logs, where prey is consumed. Geographically, it is found between southern Mexico and Bolivia.
Big-eared woolly bats have diverse feeding habits. They have been shown to feed primarily on small arthropods and small vertebrates, including beetles, moths, small mammals (including opossums and rodents), birds (including passerine birds) and even other bat species. Though primarily carnivorous or insectivorous, it has also been known to eat fruit. It is NOT a vampire!
Preserved in Alcohol
The label in the image describes this as the Lesser Vampire (Vampyrus auritus). Today this mammal is actually known to be the big-eared woolly bat or (Peter's) woolly false vampire bat (Chrotopterus auritus). The label goes on to say that the specimen was recovered from Brazil and presented to the Natural History Museum in London by Dr C Peters in 1870. It is preserved in alcohol in a glass case. I love that the detail of the wing membranes remain so well defined.
The name Chrotopterus is derived from Greek roots chariots (skin, colour), and pteron (wing). The epithet auritus refers to the large ears. Big-eared woolly bats are very large predatory bats, the second largest bat species in the neotropics. Their body mass typically ranges from 75 to 96 grams. The length of the forearm ranges from 78.7 to 83.1 mm. There are only three New World phyllostomid bats of comparable size. The dorsal hair is about 12mm long, which is longer than most of species in the Phyllostomids. They also possess two lower incisors, a trait typically shared with smaller bats.
This bat species lives in warm sub-tropical forests, usually roosting in caves and hollow logs, where prey is consumed. Geographically, it is found between southern Mexico and Bolivia.
Big-eared woolly bats have diverse feeding habits. They have been shown to feed primarily on small arthropods and small vertebrates, including beetles, moths, small mammals (including opossums and rodents), birds (including passerine birds) and even other bat species. Though primarily carnivorous or insectivorous, it has also been known to eat fruit. It is NOT a vampire!