Van Gelder's bat

Antrozous pallidus

The Antrozoinae are a bat group from the family of Myotis bats ( Vespertilionidae ). In this group, two species from North and Central America, Antrozous pallidus and Bauerus dubiaquercus are summarized. The systematic position of this group is controversial, sometimes it is levied as Antrozoidae to the rank of a separate family.

Description

Characteristic of these bats are the large, pointed ears and the trunk-like snout. The skull is relatively large and the teeth remarkably strong. The color of the fur varies from yellowish- white to dark brown. These animals can reach a body length 57-75 mm and a weight of 13 to 28 grams.

The types

• The desert bat ( Antrozous pallidus ) is widespread from southern Canada to Central America and also occurs in Cuba. It is characterized by a bright fur that is yellowish to light brown on the bottom and white at the top. They mostly live in mountainous terrain, both in forests and in dry desert areas. These animals live in groups of 20 to 100 animals that communicate with each other with a series of sounds. In the cooler regions of their range they hibernate. The food of Antrozous pallidus consists of insects, spiders, and even small vertebrates such as lizards, which they pick up from the ground.
• From Bauerus dubiaquercus little is known. The species is darker in color and slightly smaller than Antrozous pallidus. Their range extends from the central Mexico to Costa Rica, where she lives predominantly in tropical rain forests. It feeds on insects. The IUCN lists this species due to the destruction of their habitat as threatened ( vulnerable ).