Uroderma – Tent-making bats

Found from Mexico through Central America and into northern South America, these small fruit-eating bats belong to the leaf-nosed bat family. At first glance, they look much like other leaf-nosed bats, with a small size, soft brown or grayish fur, and a distinctive nose-leaf that helps with echolocation. But what truly sets them apart is their remarkable behavior of building “tents” out of large tropical leaves—ingenious shelters that give them both safety and comfort in the rainforest.

Tent-making bats earn their name by modifying leaves into shelters. Using their sharp teeth, they nibble along the veins of big leaves from palms, heliconias, bananas, or other plants until the leaf droops into a protective, tent-like shape. These leafy shelters provide cover from rain and camouflage from predators while giving the bats a place to roost during the day. Sometimes, they use broad leaves overhead like umbrellas, and in some cases, entire groups of bats will share a single tent. Because the leaves eventually die and collapse, bats frequently move and create new ones, making them constant “architects” of the forest canopy.

Socially, tent-making bats are fascinating. They usually roost in small groups of a few to a dozen individuals, often with a single male and several females, forming harems. These bats are highly social, and researchers have noted behaviors like mutual grooming and soft vocalizations that help maintain group bonds. At night, they emerge to feed mainly on fruit—especially figs, guavas, and other soft, juicy offerings of the rainforest. As they carry and digest fruit, they scatter seeds widely, making them excellent seed dispersers for tropical forests. This role earns them an ecological importance similar to that of toucans and monkeys.