Chrotopterus auritus
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~60%
The big-eared woolly bat or (Peters's) woolly false vampire bat (Chrotopterus auritus) is a species of bat, belonging to the family Phyllostomidae. The name Chrotopterus is derived from Greek roots chariots (skin, color), 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 (2.6 to 3.4 oz). The length of the forearm ranges from 79 to 83 millimetres (3.1 to 3.3 in). There are only three New World phyllostomid bats of comparable size. The dorsal hair is about 12 millimetres (0.47 in) long, which is longer than that most of phyllostomid species. They also possess two lower incisors, a trait typically shared with smaller bats.
Big woolly-eared bats live in warm subtropical forests, usually roosting in caves and hollow logs, where prey is returned to before consumption. Geographically, they are found in southern parts of Mexico and extend through Northeastern South America, being found as far south as northern Argentina. They are typically found in areas that also host many other... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Calakmul Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Woolly Bat sighting in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 15th most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 60%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April
In that month about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Big-eared Woolly Bat in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve on a given day, against under 5% in May–June and September–January, the lowest months. That is one of Calakmul Biosphere Reserve's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 130 mm in June.
Between 5 and 8 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Big-eared Woolly Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Big-eared Woolly Bat sightings, Calakmul Biosphere Reserve ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Emas National Park (Brazil, about 30%).
Same family: Phyllostomidae
The closest relatives of the Big-eared Woolly Bat that you can see in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (family Phyllostomidae, New World Leaf-nosed Bats) are Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (about 10%), wrinkle-faced bat (about 10%) and Pygmy Fruit Eating Bat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Big-eared Woolly Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Calakmul Biosphere Reserve (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
