Long-tailed Wattled Bat
Chalinolobus tuberculatus
- Class
- Mammal
- Rarity
- Epic
- Observations
- 116
- Most observed in
- 🇳🇿 New Zealand
- Conservation
- Critically Endangered
Description
Chalinolobus tuberculatus, known more commonly as the New Zealand long-tailed bat, the long-tailed wattle bat or pekapeka tou-roa, is a small insectivorous mammal within the genus Chalinolobus. The long-tailed bat is one of 7 species belonging to the genus Chalinolobus, which are commonly referred to as "wattled bats," "pied bats" and "long-tailed bats." The genus Chalinolobus is characterised by fleshy lobes located on their lower lips and at the bottom of their ears. Some zoologists claim there is overlap between the Chalinolobus genus and the Glauconycteris genus. The long-tailed bat is one of two extant and three total terrestrial mammals endemic to the islands of New Zealand. The other extant species being the New Zealand lesser short-tailed bat (Mystacina tuberculata). The long-tailed bat is closely related to 6 other species of wattled bats found in Australasia, namely Gould's wattled bat (Chalinolobus gouldi), the largest of the species belonging to the Chalinolobus genus. The long-tailed bat won the 2021 Bird of the Year competition in New Zealand, despite not being a bird.
Summary adapted from the Wikipedia article “New Zealand long-tailed bat”.