Diclidurus albus
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~60% in a week ~90%
The northern ghost bat (Diclidurus albus) is a bat species from South America, Trinidad, and Central America. It is a relatively rare, completely white, insectivorous bat, with an unusual sac at the base of its tail. The northern ghost bat is a member of the family Emballonuridae in the order Chiroptera. It is considered medium-sized for its genus, Diclidurus. It is pure white to pale grey in color, with some dark-grey basal pelage. In stark contrast to other members of the family Emballonuridae, it does not have wing-sacs, but rather, a large glandular structure located centrally with respect to its uropatagium. The species derives its name from its habitual locale and glandular form. Diclidurus is from the Latin word diclid, or two-valved, which describes the multi-chambered nature of its uropatagium gland.
The northern ghost bat can be distinguished from other members of its genus by the presence of a vestigial thumb with a near-absent claw. Amongst the northern ghost bat population, sexual dimorphism is present. Specifically, males tend to be slightly larger in size when compared to females. Diclidurus albus is intermediate in weight relative to other members of... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carara National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Machalilla National Park | 🇪🇨 Ecuador | |
| 3 | Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Corcovado National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica |
No species of the same family or order lives in Machalilla National Park, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
Possible
About 20% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Ghost Bat sighting in Machalilla National Park on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 4th most-seen of the 5 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 60%, and over a week to about 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 50% of wildlife watchers report a Northern Ghost Bat in Machalilla National Park on a given day, against under 5% in February–April, June and November, the lowest months. That is one of Machalilla National Park's driest months, with about 5 mm of rain against 140 mm in February.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Northern Ghost Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
2nd of 4
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Northern Ghost Bat sightings, Machalilla National Park ranks 2nd at about 20%. The best odds are in Carara National Park (Costa Rica, about 30%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Northern Ghost Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Machalilla National Park (13 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.
