skullbaby wrote:

>hey help me out here. Anybody know anything about
>bats that eat frogs? Do any live in the USA?

To: skullbaby
Fm: Janet Tyburec
Subj: Frog-Eating Bats

Hello Skullbaby, I am a staff biologist with Bat Conservation International, and I think I can answer your question.

There's a bat known as Trachops cirrhosus that is more commonly called "the frog-eating bat," though it is also sometimes called "the fringe-lipped bat." It ranges from southern Mexico through Brazil, including the island of Trinidad. It's one of about 33 species of bats called "spear nosed bats" that are found in the American Leaf-nosed Bat family. Bats in this small group are mostly "foliage gleaners," which means they pluck their prey from plants, from the ground or from the surface of the water. Spear nosed bats eat large insects, water bugs, small vertebrates (like lizards and frogs), and some even feed on fruit or nectar from night blooming flowers.

Frog-eating bats locate their prey by listening to the frogs' mating calls, and they can even distinguish between poisonous and edible species. Research has shown that these bats rely so heavily on sound to find their prey, they will hunt for tape recorders playing the mating calls of frogs. The frog-eating bat is also known to eat insects and lizards. My boss, Dr. Merlin Tuttle, studied frog-eating bats in Panama. He wrote a very interesting article about his discoveries that appeared in the January 1982 issue of National Geographic Magazine (page 78-91).

The only other bats believed to eat frogs are four species that are members of the family Megadermatidae ("false vampire and yellow-winged bats"). These bats live in Asia, Australia, and Africa. Little else is known about their diets, and in fact of many of the world's nearly 1,000 bat species, because most bats are so little studied compared to other animals. The vast majority of the 45 species found in the U.S. and Canada feed on insects, and less than a handful feed on fruit and nectar from plants.

Bats are fascinating animals, but because they are active mainly at night, we often misunderstand and fear them. In truth, they are important members of healthy ecosystems and deserve our protection. Feel free to contact me if you have any additional questions or want to learn more fascinating facts about bats. –Janet