Sheath-tailed bats | Emballonuridae

Grafvleermuizen | Embalonúridos

In these bats the tail pierces the upper surface of the tail membrane and projects free through it, after which it can slide to and fro as though in a sheath: when the animal stretches its legs the membrane draws taut, when it pulls them up the membrane folds back. The face is smooth, without a noseleaf, and the eyes are large for a bat — sight counts here. The wings are long and narrow and the flight fast and straight, high over open ground. They roost not tucked away but in light places: cave mouths, ruins, tombs and buildings, each at a distance from its neighbours, and they move sideways along the wall clambering on their wrists. In many species a gland pouch lies in the wing membrane of the arm or beneath the throat, with which males spread their scent. The only species in this area is a robust bat with a naked belly and rump.