---
title: "What the sources say about the Ghost Bat | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "52 claims from the Ghost Bat profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Ghost Bat (*Macroderma gigas*)

> 52 claims from the Ghost Bat profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Ghost Bat](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/ghost-bat/)

## Macroderma gigas (ghost bat) Conservation Advice. Threatened Species Scientific Committee, Australian Government Department of the Environment, 2016.

https://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/threatened/species/pubs/174-conservation-advice-05052016.pdf

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Australia's only carnivorous bat | It is Australia's only carnivorous bat. |
| a night hunter | Tidemann et al. (1985) found that foraging areas were centred, on average, 1.9 km from the daytime roost. The mean size of foraging areas was 61 ha and tagged bats generally returned to the same areas each night. (note: Foraging areas were used each night; they roost by day.) |
| Deep caves, rock crevices and old mine tunnels across northern Australia, from the Pilbara and Kimberley to the Northern Territory and Queensland | The species’ current range is discontinuous, with geographically disjunct colonies occurring in the Pilbara (Armstrong & Anstee 2000; McKenzie & Bullen 2009), Kimberley (including several islands; McKenzie & Bullen 2012), northern Northern Territory (including Groote Eylandt), the Gulf of Carpentaria (Australian Wildlife Conservancy 2010), coastal and near coastal eastern Queensland from Cape York to near Rockhampton (Richards et al., 2008), and western Queensland (including Riversleigh and Cammoweal districts; Bullen pers. comm., 2015). (note: roost description ('caves, rock crevices ... mine adits') from the same source: 'Roost sites include caves, rock crevices and disused mine adits.') |
| Frogs, reptiles, birds, large insects, small mammals, and other bats | They are carnivores, with a broad diet comprising small mammals including other bats, birds, reptiles, frogs and large insects |
| Australia's Only Meat-Eating Bat | It is Australia's only carnivorous bat. (note: heading; ghost bat is also stated to be 'the largest microchiropteran bat in Australia' in the same source.) |
| is Australia's only carnivorous bat, and the largest microbat in Australia | The ghost bat is the largest microchiropteran bat in Australia ... It is Australia's only carnivorous bat. |
| a head and body length of 10 to 13 centimetres, a forearm length of 10 to 11 centimetres | The ghost bat is the largest microchiropteran bat in Australia, with a head and body length of 10−13 cm and a forearm length of 10−11 cm. |
| a wingspan of 60 centimetres, and weighs up to 150 grams | Ghost bats are the largest microchiropteran bat in Australia and the second largest in the world, weighing up to 150 g and having a wingspan of 60 cm. |
| roost in caves, rock crevices and disused mine adits | Roost sites include caves, rock crevices and disused mine adits. |
| scattered colonies from the Pilbara and Kimberley in Western Australia through the Northern Territory's Top End to eastern and western Queensland | The species’ current range is discontinuous, with geographically disjunct colonies occurring in the Pilbara (Armstrong & Anstee 2000; McKenzie & Bullen 2009), Kimberley (including several islands; McKenzie & Bullen 2012), northern Northern Territory (including Groote Eylandt), the Gulf of Carpentaria (Australian Wildlife Conservancy 2010), coastal and near coastal eastern Queensland from Cape York to near Rockhampton (Richards et al., 2008), and western Queensland (including Riversleigh and Cammoweal districts; Bullen pers. comm., 2015). |
| Two Ways to Hunt | The ghost bat has a surface foraging strategy with two modes. |
| A ghost bat perches in vegetation to ambush prey passing on the ground or in the air, and it also gleans prey from surfaces such as the ground while in flight | It perches in vegetation to ambush passing prey (either on the ground or in the air), and it also gleans surfaces such as the ground while in flight. |
| Tagged bats in one study watched from vantage points and made brief sallies, mostly for insects on the ground, though they were also seen hawking flying insects | Hunting behaviour within foraging areas consisted of observation at vantage points with brief sallies to capture prey (mostly insects on the ground), though hawking of flying insects was also observed. |
| They moved to a new vantage point about every 15 minutes, and their foraging areas averaged 61 hectares, centred an average of 1.9 kilometres from the day roost | Tidemann et al. (1985) found that foraging areas were centred, on average, 1.9 km from the daytime roost. The mean size of foraging areas was 61 ha ... Vantage points were changed about every 15 minutes during foraging periods |
| Ghost bats prey on frogs, reptiles, birds, large insects, small mammals and other bats | They are carnivores, with a broad diet comprising small mammals including other bats, birds, reptiles, frogs and large insects |
| Permanent roosts are generally deep natural caves or disused mines with a relatively stable 23 to 28 degrees Celsius and 50 to 100 percent humidity | Roost sites used permanently are generally deep natural caves or disused mines with a relatively stable temperature of 23°−28°C and a moderate to high relative humidity of 50−100 percent |
| Ghost bats are easily disturbed and may abandon a roost where disturbance occurs | Ghost bats are easily disturbed and may abandon sites where disturbance occurs |
| Females breed at two to three years of age | Females breed at an age of two to three years (Hoyle et al., 2001). |
| give birth to a single pup | female bats gave birth to a single young in late spring |
| starts flying at about seven weeks | Juvenile bats commenced flying at seven weeks with all young capable of flight by the end of January. |
| Wild lifespan is unknown, though it is likely somewhat shorter than the 22.6 years one captive bat reached | Longevity in the wild is unknown, but is likely to be somewhat less than the maximum 22.6 years in captivity (AnAge 2012). (note: 'somewhat shorter' paraphrases 'somewhat less than'.) |
| In 2014 the population was estimated at fewer than 10,000 mature ghost bats, with a continuing decline | Woinarski et al. (2014) estimate the population size of the ghost bat to be fewer than 10 000 mature individuals, with an estimated continuing decline of greater than 10 percent in 24 years (three generations). (note: The source prints '10 000' with a space; same value.) |
| By 2016, populations in Kakadu National Park were believed to have fallen by more than 90 percent since cane toads arrived there in 2001 | Populations in Kakadu National Park are believed to have declined by more than 90 percent since the arrival of cane toads in 2001. (note: 'By 2016' dates the statement to the Conservation Advice.) |
| bats have been found dead with chewed toads in their throats | bats have been found dead with chewed toads in their throats |
| genetic work indicates the ghost bat cannot tolerate the toads' toxins | Poisoning by cane toads ... Genetic work indicates that the ghost bat is unable to tolerate bufotoxins (note: 'cannot tolerate' paraphrases 'is unable to tolerate'; hedge 'indicates' kept. Listed under the threat 'Poisoning by cane toads'.) |
| The key threat is habitat loss from mining | The key threat to the ghost bat is habitat loss and degradation due to mining activities |
| collisions with fences, especially barbed wire, are known to kill substantial numbers | Collision with fences, especially those with barbed wire ... substantial numbers are known to be killed when colliding with fencing wire |
| At Kohinoor Adit in the Northern Territory, named in 2016 as the largest known breeding site | the largest known breeding site at Kohinoor Adit in Pine Creek (note: 'named in 2016' dates the statement to the 2016 Conservation Advice, the source quoted.) |
| counts reached 1,500 bats in January 1990 but were down to 550 by December 2013 | January 1990 1500 ... December 2013 550 |
| a fall of 63 percent | Kohinoor Adit, NT 1500 550 63% 60% (ongoing threats) (note: Table 4's summary row for Kohinoor Adit gives 'Past decline' as 63% for the 1990-2013 period.) |

## Ghost Bat. Australian Museum, 2023.

https://australian.museum/learn/animals/bats/ghost-bat/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| swooping to kill with powerful bites, then flying to a feeding site to eat | They swoop on their prey killing with powerful bites, then fly to a feeding site to eat. |
| A noticeable creamy white area there gives the bat its ghost-like appearance, and its grey fur is patched with white | Its face has a noticeable creamy white area, giving the bat its ghost-like appearance. Its grey fur is patched with white fur. |

## Macroderma gigas (Australian false vampire bat). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Macroderma_gigas/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| eats even the bones, teeth and fur of its prey | They eat large amounts of food including flesh, bones, teeth, fur, small feathers, and the chitinous exoskeletons of insects. |
| Bones and All | They eat large amounts of food including flesh, bones, teeth, fur, small feathers, and the chitinous exoskeletons of insects. (note: Heading; the list of what they eat includes bones.) |
| Flesh, bones, teeth, fur, small feathers and the hard shells of insects all get eaten, and in a 1970 account, captive ghost bats fed boneless meat soon became distressed | They eat large amounts of food including flesh, bones, teeth, fur, small feathers, and the chitinous exoskeletons of insects. Ghost Bats appear to need this roughage in their diet because if they are fed on boneless meat in captivity they soon become distressed and fouled with loose excreta. (Ride 1970) (note: The account is Ride 1970 as cited by ADW; the sentence reports only the distress, not the 'appear to need' inference. 'all' refers to the listed items.) |
| dangerLevel: Low | There are no significant negative effects of ghost bats. |
| drops on a mammal from above, wraps it in its wings and kills it with bites to the head and neck | Ghost Bats drop on mammals from above, enveloping them with their flight membranes, and kill them with bites about the head and neck. |

## AnAge entry for Macroderma gigas. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

https://genomics.senescence.info/species/entry.php?species=Macroderma_gigas

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the 22.6 years one captive bat reached | One captive specimen lived for 22.6 years |

## Pettigrew et al. (2008). Peak Density and Distribution of Ganglion Cells in the Retinae of Microchiropteran Bats: Implications for Visual Acuity (Part 1 of 2). Brain, Behavior and Evolution.

https://doi.org/10.1159/000116531

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| the sharpest estimated vision of six echolocating bats compared in one study | The estimated upper limits of visual acuity of the six species of echolocating bats vary from about 0.35 cycles/degree in R. rouxi to about 2 cycles/degree in M. gigas. (note: M. gigas is the top of the study's range of estimated upper limits of visual acuity, across the six species it studied.) |
| in a comparison of six echolocating bat species, the ghost bat had the longest eyes and the sharpest estimated vision of the group | The axial lengths of microchiropteran eyes vary from 1.8 mm in R. rouxi to 7.0 mm in M. gigas. ... The estimated upper limits of visual acuity of the six species of echolocating bats vary from about 0.35 cycles/degree in R. rouxi to about 2 cycles/degree in M. gigas. (note: Axial eye length and estimated acuity both run from R. rouxi at the bottom to M. gigas at the top of the six species studied.) |
| When scientists compared the retinas of six microbat species | In all six species studied, the peak-density regions of presumed (or positively identified) RGCs are located in the inferotemporal retinae |
| the ghost bat had the most retinal ganglion cells | The total number of presumed RGCs varies among the species: from about 4,500 in Rhinolophus rouxi to about 120,000 in Macroderma gigas. (note: M. gigas is the top of the range among the six species studied.) |
| roughly 120,000, against about 4,500 in the lowest-scoring species | The total number of presumed RGCs varies among the species: from about 4,500 in Rhinolophus rouxi to about 120,000 in Macroderma gigas. |

## Guppy & Coles (1988). Acoustical and neural aspects of hearing in the Australian gleaning bats,Macroderma gigas andNyctophilus gouldi. Journal of Comparative Physiology A.

https://doi.org/10.1007/bf01342641

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Highly sensitive low-frequency hearing | In M. gigas, the neural audiogram has sensitivity peaks at 10-20 kHz and 35-43 kHz, with extremely low thresholds (-18 dB SPL) in the low frequency region. |
| A ghost bat's outer ear boosts incoming sound by up to 30 decibels between 5 and 8 kilohertz | The maximum acoustic gain of the external ear in Macroderma gigas was found to be 25-30 dB between 5-8 kHz |
| researchers link its highly sensitive low-frequency hearing to hunting by passive listening | Highly sensitive low frequency hearing is discussed in relation to hunting in bats by passive listening. |

## Boles (1999). Avian prey of the Australian Ghost Bat Macroderma gigas (Microchiroptera: Megadermatidae): prey characteristics and damage from predation. Australian Zoologist.

https://doi.org/10.7882/az.1999.009

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A study of bird remains found ghost bats may take prey up to about two-thirds their own mass, but they prefer smaller birds: almost 70 percent of the bird species recorded weighed under 35 grams | they may take animals up to about two-thirds their own mass, they have a preference for smaller birds, with almost 70% of the species having a mass less than 35 g |

## Start, McKenzie & Bullen (2019). Notes on bats in the diets of Ghost Bats (Macroderma gigas: Megadermatidae) in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Records of the Western Australian Museum.

https://doi.org/10.18195/issn.0312-3162.34(1).2019.051-053

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Prey remains from middens under ghost bat roosts in Western Australia's Pilbara region have identified nine other bat species on the menu there | We identified those bones to extend (from four to nine species) knowledge of other bats consumed by Ghost Bats in the Pilbara ... Claramunt et al. (2019) published a list of vertebrate prey items recovered from refuse accumulations (middens) under Ghost Bat roosts |
| Prey remains collected under ghost bat roosts in the Pilbara include several bat species that commonly share cave roosts with ghost bats | It is noteworthy that prey include species that utilise a wide variety of foraging strategies and airspaces (McKenzie and Bullen, 2009) and also that they include several species that commonly cohabit cave roosts with Ghost Bats in the Pilbara (Table 2). |
| the 2019 study that identified them concluded that bats are an important part of the ghost bat's diet there | We identified those bones to extend (from four to nine species) knowledge of other bats consumed by Ghost Bats in the Pilbara showing that bats are an important component of their diets. (note: Source is Start, McKenzie & Bullen (2019), Records of the Western Australian Museum 34.) |

## Armstrong et al. (2021). Macroderma gigas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T12590A209530568.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-3.rlts.t12590a209530568.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |
| The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |