SUMMARY: Thyropteridae
Common Name
: New World Sucker-footed Bat, Disc-winged Bats
Taxonomy: One genus, two species
Distribution: Mexico to South America
Fossil Record:
Size Range: Head and body length 34 - 52 mm, forearm 27 - 38 mm
Characteristics:
Insect eater

Long slender muzzle, small warts above the nostril, no nose-leaf. Crown of head high and domed. Ears funnel shaped with tragus. Tip of tail extends slightly beyond free end of membrane.

Circular adhesive disc or sucker shaped cup at base of the thumb and on the sole of the foot (in front of heel), larger on thumb than feet. Third and fourth toes are fused (like
Furipteridae).

Roost in rolled leaf or frond, discs used to adhere to the sides of leaves. Do not hang head downward, face upward towards the entrance of roost (i.e. young banana leaves).

Average group size is 6.

(from the books "Bats - A Natural History" and from "Walker's Bats of the World")