The ghost bat: reclusive and vulnerable
Weighing up to 150 grams and with a 6 centimetre wingspan, the ghost bat, Macroderma gigas, is the world's second-largest microchiropteran. Formerly distributed across much of mainland Australia, the ghost bat is now only found north of the Tropic of Capricorn and, with a population of no more than 7,000 individuals, our lack of information on the biology of the ghost bat actually poses a potential threat to its survival. To overcome this, a multidisciplinary team of ecologists, ethologists, physiologists and biophysicists are studying a ghost bat roost at Pine Creek, NT. The study looked at the social and reproductive behaviour of the ghost bats, as well as their hunting and feeding behaviour.