Carollia perspicillata
Silhouette: Roberto Díaz Sibaja · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~40%
Seba's short-tailed bat (Carollia perspicillata) is a common and widespread bat species in the family Phyllostomidae. They are found in Central America, the northern parts of South America, and in the Antilles islands. C. perspicillata is a small to medium-sized bat with relatively short ears, and a short, triangular noseleaf. They have fur that is dense and soft, and can be a variety of colors, ranging from black to brown to gray, with both albino and orange individuals found in certain areas. Sexual dimorphism varies in C. perspicillata based on geography. In Colombia, there are no differences in size and color between sexes, but in the West Indies females are usually larger, and males are larger everywhere else this species is found.
C. perspicillata has a very good sense of smell, good visual acuity, and they show less specialization in their auditory apparatus as opposed to insectivorous bats. However, they still employ echolocation as a primary method of orientation. They use calls that originate in their mouths or nostrils, which are intense, and have been shown to be the most directional sonar beams in any species of echolocating bat. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Soberanía National Park | 🇵🇦 Panama |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Moscow Zoo | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 2 | Chester Zoo | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | |
| 3 | The Maryland Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Safari de Peaugres Circuit Auto | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 5 | Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Burgers' Ocean | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 7 | Royal Burgers' Zoo | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | |
| 8 | Terra Natura Benidorm | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 9 | Houston Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 10 | Mesker Park Zoo and Botanic Garden | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 11 | Akron Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 12 | Loro Parque | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 13 | Henry Vilas Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 14 | Stone Zoo | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 15 | Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 16 | Maritime Aquarium at Norwalk | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 17 | Dallas World Aquarium | 🇺🇸 United States |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Seba's Short-tailed Bat sighting in Soberanía National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 30th most-seen of the 36 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 40%, if each day is a fresh chance.
April–June and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Seba's Short-tailed Bat in Soberanía National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July–September and November–March, the lowest months.
Between 7 and 10 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Seba's Short-tailed Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 pm and 6 am: it is mostly seen at night.
Only Soberanía National Park, in our data
Soberanía National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Seba's Short-tailed Bat sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Phyllostomidae
The closest relatives of the Seba's Short-tailed Bat that you can see in Soberanía National Park (family Phyllostomidae, New World Leaf-nosed Bats) are Common tent-making Bat (about 10%), Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat (about 10%) and fringe-lipped bat (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Seba's Short-tailed Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Soberanía National Park (8 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.
