Native to Central and South America, from southern Mexico down into Brazil and Bolivia, this bat is one of several in the genus Uroderma known for its unique behavior of modifying large leaves into shelters. True to its name, the brown tent-making bat is covered in soft brown fur, with a lighter underside and a broad nose-leaf that helps it navigate and echolocate at night.
This species is remarkable because it can build tents out of leaves. Using its sharp teeth, the bat chews along the midrib of large leaves from plants like palms, bananas, or heliconias, causing the leaf to fold into a tent-like structure. These leafy shelters shield the bat from rain, camouflage it from predators, and provide a safe communal roost. A single tent is often shared by a small group, usually a male with several females, and the bats may return to the same tent for days until the leaf dries out or collapses. Then, they simply move on and create another.
Behaviorally, brown tent-making bats are highly social. They roost in small colonies and often engage in grooming and gentle vocalizations that strengthen group bonds. At dusk, they leave their leafy hideouts to forage, feeding mainly on fruit such as figs, guavas, and other soft, pulpy fruits. Because they often carry fruit away from trees to eat, they scatter seeds across wide areas, playing a key role in rainforest regeneration.
For one, the brown tent-making bat is a master of improvisation—it can fashion tents from more than 20 different plant species, adapting its “construction techniques” depending on what leaves are available. Some tents look like umbrellas, while others resemble lean-tos or pitched roofs. Their face markings can also be quite distinctive, with pale stripes that break up their outline and help them blend among leaves
Distribution
Bolivia
Brazil
Colombia
Ecuador
El Salvador
Guatemala
Guyana
Honduras
Mexico
Nicaragua
Panama
Peru
VenezuelaAnything we've missed?
Help us improve this page by suggesting edits. Glory never dies!
Suggest an editGet to know me
Terrestrial / Aquatic
Altricial / Precocial
Polygamous / Monogamous
Dimorphic (size) / Monomorphic
Active: Diurnal / Nocturnal
Social behavior: Solitary / Pack / Colony
Diet: Carnivore / Frugivore / Omnivore / Piscivorous / Insectivore
Migratory: Yes / No
Domesticated: Yes / No
Dangerous: Yes / No
