Centurio senex
SUBFAMILY
Stenodermatinae
TAXONOMY
Centurio senex Gray, 1842, Chinandega, Nicaragua.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
None known.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Head and body length 2.1–2.7 in (54–68 mm); forearm 1.6–1.8 in (41–45 mm); weight 0.5–0.9 oz (13–26 g); upper body yellowish brown with a white spot on shoulder, lower body paler; face grotesquely wrinkled with no nose leaf; flap of skin under chin hangs over face when bat is at rest.
DISTRIBUTION
Northern coastal Mexico south to Venezuela and Trinidad and Tobago.
HABITAT
Lowland tropical forests, including second growth, up to about 4,595 ft (1,400 m). Roosts in foliage and vine tangles.
BEHAVIOR
An uncommon bat that roosts in small groups of less than a dozen individuals. Bats are inconspicuous in their roosts. They apparently change roost sites regularly; new roosts are often located just several hundred feet (meters) from old roosts.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Thought to eat soft fruit and use its facial wrinkles to direct fruit juices into its mouth.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Details unknown but records of pregnant or lactating females (February–August in Mexico and Central America) suggest seasonal polyestry. Mating system is likely to involve harem polygyny.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Not currently threatened, but vulnerable to habitat destruction.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.
| Common name / Scientific name | Physical characteristics | Habitat and behavior | Distribution | Diet | Conservation status |
| Common big-eared bat Micronycteris microtis | Reddish to gray-brown dorsally and paler brown underneath. Head and body length 1.4–2.0 in (3.5–5.1 cm); tail 0.3–0.6 (0.8–1.5 cm); forearm 1.3–1.5 (3.2–3.7 cm); weight 0.1–0.3 oz (4–9 g). | Lowland deciduous and evergreen forests. Roosts in small groups in caves, mines, hollow trees, logs, and abandoned buildings. | Northern coastal Mexico south through Central America to Colombia, French Guiana, and Brazil. | Primarily insects (of at least 13 orders) but also fruit. | Not threatened |
| Pale spear-nosed bat Phyllostomus discolor | Reddish to gray-brown dorsally and paler brown underneath. Head and body length 2.6–3.8 in (6.6–9.7 cm); tail 0.5–0.9 (1.2–2.3 cm); forearm 2.7–3.3 (6.9–8.3 cm); weight 1.8–2.3 oz (51–65 g). | Lowland deciduous and ever-green forest. Roosts in hollow trees or caves in colonies of several hundred individuals. | Southern Mexico to southern Brazil and Paraguay, also Trinidad. | Nectar, pollen, fruit, and insects; more nectarivorous than the greater spear-nosed bat, P. hastatus. | Not threatened |
| White-throated round-eared bat Tonatia sylvicola | Gray or gray-brown dorsally and paler gray underneath. Head and body length 1.8–1.9 in (4.6–4.9 cm); tail 0.4–0.9 (1.0–2.2 cm); forearm 2.0–2.2 (5.0–5.6 cm); weight 0.9–1.4 oz (25–39 g). | Lowland primary forests. Roosts in small groups in arboreal termite nests and sometimes in caves. | Honduras to Bolivia, northern Argentina, and eastern Brazil. | Primarily insectivorous (especially large orthopterans) but also small vertebrates and fruit. | Not threatened |
| Woolly false vampire bat Chrotopterus auritus | Dark gray or gray-brown dorsally and silvery gray underneath. Fur long and woolly. Head and body length 3.7–4.4 in (9.3–11.3 cm); tail 0.2–0.6 (0.6–1.5 cm); forearm 3.0–3.3 (7.7–8.3 cm); weight 2.2–3.3 oz (61–92 g). | Lowland evergreen forests. Roosts in small family groups in caves or hollow trees. | Southern Mexico to southern Brazil and northern Argentina. | Small vertebrates, including rodents, birds, frogs, and reptiles. | Not threatened |
| Hairy-legged vampire bat Diphylla ecaudata | Gray-brown dorsally and gray under-neath. Head and body length 2.7–3.2 in (6.9–8.2 cm); tail 0; forearm 1.9–2.2 in (4.9–5.6 cm); weight 0.6–1.2 oz (18–33 g). | Lowland deciduous and ever-green forests. Roosts in small colonies in caves and mines. | Southern Texas, United States, and eastern Mexico to Venezuela, Peru, and eastern Brazil. | The blood of birds (rarely mammals). | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| Orange nectar bat Lonchophylla robusta | Orange dorsally and buffy underneath. Head and body length 2.2–3.0 in (5.6–7.5 cm); tail 0.2–0.4 (0.6–1.1 cm); forearm 1.6–1.8 (4.0–4.5 cm); weight 0.5–0.7 oz (14–19 g). | Lowland evergreen forest. Roosts in small colonies in caves or mines. | Nicaragua to Venezuela and Ecuador. | Nectar, pollen, and insects. | Not threatened |
| Mexican hog-nosed bat Choeronycteris mexicana | Gray-brown dorsally and paler gray underneath. Head and body length 2.7–3.7 in (6.8–9.3 cm); tail 0.2–0.5 in (0.6–1.2 cm); forearm 1.7–1.9 in (4.3–4.9 cm); weight 0.5–0.7 oz (14–19 g). | Lowland to mid-montane elevations in desert and deciduous and pine-oak forest. Roosts in small colonies in caves or mines. Females are migratory. | Southwestern United States and along Pacific coast of Mexico to southern Honduras. | Nectar and pollen of flowers of columnar cacti, agaves, and tropical trees; occasionally fruit. | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| Southern long-tongued bat Glossophaga longirostris | Light brown dorsally and paler under-neath. Head and body length 2.4–2.8 in (6.0–7.0 cm); tail 0.1–0.4 in (0.3–0.8 cm); forearm 1.4–1.5 in (3.5–3.9 cm); weight 0.4–0.5 oz (11–15 g). | Lowland to mid-montane deserts and riparian and deciduous tropical forests. Roosts in small colonies in caves, mines, and hollow trees. | Northeastern Colombia and northern Venezuela to Guyana. | Nectar, pollen, fruit, and insects. | Not threatened |
| Cuban flower bat Phyllonycteris poeyi | Grayish white dorsally and ventrally. Head and body length 2.5–3.3 in (6.4–8.3 cm); tail 0.3–0.5 in (0.7–1.2 cm); forearm 1.7–2.0 in (4.4–5.0 cm); weight 0.6–1.0 oz (16–28 g). | Disturbed and primary forests. Roosts in "hot" caves in large numbers. | Cuba. | Nectar, pollen, fruit, and insects. | Lower Risk/Near Threatened |
| Chestnut short-tailed bat Carollia castanea | Reddish brown dorsally and paler under-neath. Head and body length 1.9–2.4 in (4.8–6.0 cm); tail 0.3–0.6 in (0.7–1.4 cm); forearm 1.3–1.5 in (3.4–3.8 cm); weight 0.4–0.5 oz (12–14 g). | Lowland secondary and primary evergreen forests. Roosts in small colonies in caves, mines, hollow trees, and under tree roots. | Honduras to Venezuela, Bolivia, and western Brazil. | Mostly fruit (especially those of Piper shrubs) and insects. | Not threatened |
| Highland yellow-shouldered bat Sturnira ludovici | Gray-brown or orange dorsally and paler gray underneath. Male shoulder patches orange to dark red. Head and body length 2.6–2.8 in (6.6–;7.0 cm); tail 0; forearm 1.6–1.8 in (4.1–4.5 cm); weight 0.6–0.8 oz (17–23 g). | Moist to wet montane forests. Probably roosts in hollow trees in small groups. | Mexican highlands to Guyana and west of the Andes to Ecuador. | Fruit mostly Solanum and Piper and insects | Not threatened |
| Common name / Scientific name | Physical characteristics | Habitat and behavior | Distribution | Diet | Conservation status |
| Great fruit-eating bat Artibeus lituratus | Brown or tan dorsally and gray-brown underneath. Head and body length 3.4–4.0 in (8.7–10.1 cm); tail 0; forearm 2.7–3.1 in (6.9–7.8 cm); weight 1.9–2.6 oz (53–73 g). | Lowland deciduous and ever-green forests. Roosts in small groups in foliage, hollow trees, and sometimes in larger groups in caves and mines. | Mexico to southern Brazil and northern Argentina; Trinidad and Tobago, southern Lesser Antilles. | Fruit (especially figs) of canopy trees; sometimes pollen and nectar. | Not threatened |
| Hairy big-eyed bat Chiroderma villosum | Entirely gray or gray-brown. Head and body length 2.4–3.1 in (6.2–7.9 cm); tail 0; forearm 1.7–1.9 in (4.2–4.7 cm); weight 0.5–1.0 oz (15–28 g). | Lowland deciduous and evergreen forests. Roosts in foliage in small groups. | South central Mexico to southern Brazil, Bolivia, and Peru; Trinidad and Tobago. | Fruit (especially figs). | Not threatened |
