Bioacoustics of Emballonura furax

Status and Conservation . Classified as Least Concern on The IUCN Red List. The New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat has a large distribution and presumably large and stable overall population. Although there are no population estimates, new site locations are being found with acoustic surveys, particularly in Western and Gulf provinces of Papua New Guinea. Additional surveys in West Papua might increase known distribution of the New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat. Deforestation for timber harvest and establishment of plantations is a threat. Destruction and disturbance of roost sites are potential threats. Fortunately, a significant part of the distribution is rugged karst terrain that is unlikely to experience large-scale clearing or disturbance.

Habitat . Lowland rainforests, hill forests, and lower montane forests from sea level to elevations of c.1500 m. Acoustic surveys and wing morphology of the New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bat suggest that it forages in open areas, probably over and among canopies. Food and Feeding . New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bats are insectivorous. Breeding . No information. Activity patterns. The New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bats is crepuscular and roosts in limestone caves and tunnels. It emerges before sunset and forages in open areas and forest understories until darkness, and then it can move above forest canopies. Movements, Home range and Social organization. New Guinea Sheath-tailed Bats roost in groups of several to a few dozen individuals clinging to vertical walls in twilight zones of caves and tunnels. They often cohabit roosts with Large-eared Sheath-tailed Bats ( E. dianae ) and Raffray’s Sheath-tailed Bats (E. raffrayana ). Acoustic survey data suggest that they can be locally common.