Glossophaga soricina
Silhouette: Edwin Price · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Pallas's long-tongued bat (Glossophaga soricina) is a South and Central American bat with a fast metabolism that feeds on nectar. It has the fastest metabolism ever recorded in a mammal, similar to those of hummingbirds. Although it uses 50% of its stored fat over the course of a day, over 80% of its energy comes directly from the simple sugars that compose its diet of nectar, without being stored in any form. It will also feed on pollen, flower parts, fruit and insects.
A 2013 study determined that their tongues have a mopping ability that is powered by blood, a phenomenon unique in nature. Elongated hairs at the tongue's tip, which normally lie flat, become engorged with blood when the tongue is protruded. As a result, the hairs stand in erect rows, perpendicular to the tongue. The tongue tip increases by over 50 percent in length, contracting its width to squeeze enlarged vascular sinuses along the tongue's length, that are directly connected to the hairs. During this process tissue capillaries turn from pink (little blood) to dark red. The blood vessel networks that enter the tip of the tongue are fringed by muscle fibers, which contract to compress... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | João Pessoa | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | São Paulo | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoo Pilsen | 🇨🇿 Czechia | |
| 2 | Nuremberg Zoo | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 3 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 28 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 4 | Berlin Zoological Garden | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 5 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Aquarium Berlin | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 7 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 12 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 8 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 14 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany | |
| 9 | Tiergarten Am Tiergarten 6 in Nürnberg | 🇩🇪 Germany |
No species of the same family or order lives in São Paulo, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas's Long-tongued Bat sighting in São Paulo on a given day, based on 10 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 17th most-seen of the 19 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
July and August
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Pallas's Long-tongued Bat in São Paulo on a given day, against under 5% in September to June, the lowest months. Those are among São Paulo's driest months, with about 50 mm of rain a month against 230 mm in January.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Pallas's Long-tongued Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 cities where we can rate Pallas's Long-tongued Bat sightings, São Paulo ranks 2nd at under 5%. The best odds are in João Pessoa (Brazil, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Pallas's Long-tongued Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in São Paulo (10 verified sightings), 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.
