‘Woolly’ bat weighing as much as a nickel detected in Guatemala for first time
.jpg "Myotis riparius was detected in Guatemala, Belize and El Salvador for the first time, extending its range by hundreds of miles, according to a study.")
An elusive “woolly” species has been recorded for the first time in three Central American countries, according to researchers.
Myotis riparius, a small bat species weighing as much as a U.S. nickel, was observed for the first time in Guatemala and detected on vocal recordings for the first time in Belize and El Salvador, according to a study published Oct. 10 in the journal Check List.
These new records close a significant gap in the bat’s known distribution range, which previously stretched from Olancho, Honduras, to Buenos Aires, Argentina, according to the study.
The new records represent a range extension of about 240 miles northeast, according to the study.
Researchers said Myotis riparius has the “remarkable” ability to survive in a wide variety of habitats, “from lowland and montane forests to savannas and even human-modified environments such as agricultural fields and pastures.”
Researchers believe the species once formed a widespread metapopulation — one that is separated but connected through migration — that fragmented between 774,100 and 129,000 years ago, “likely in response to climate-driven environmental shifts,” according to the study.
The species is described as having “long and woolly, typically reddish-brown to cinnamon” fur on its back and bicolored fur on its belly, which is dark at the base and “yellowish” at the tips, according to the study.
It also has “distinctive pinkish-brown facial skin coloration,” researchers said.
Myotis riparius has also been recorded in Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Honduras, according to the study.
The research team includes Luis A. Trujillo, Bruce Miller, Diego I. Ordoñez-Mazier, Diana Salguero, Hefer Ávila-Palma, Nereyda Estrada, Diana Mansilla, Katarina Hooper, Walter Alvarez-Jacinto and José G. Martínez-Fonseca.
This story was originally published October 14, 2025 at 2:35 PM with the headline "‘Woolly’ bat weighing as much as a nickel detected in Guatemala for first time."
