Mustached Bats: Family Mormoopidae

The family Morpmoopidae is also known as the mustached bats, or ghost-faced bats.  The faces of these odd-looking bats may have evolved because of the special way they capture insects.  Both the large lips that flare outward and a mustache of stiff hairs give the open-mouthed bat a distinctive look.  The funnel-shaped mouth may help to direct echolocation calls as well as provide a large trap for capturing insects in flight.  The lower edge of the ear is connected to the mouth by a fleshy ridge.  The tail begins about halfway down the interfemoral membrane.  The wing membranes are attached to the body relatively high on the sides.  The wings are attached to the center of the back in two species- both naked-backed mustached bats.  Mustached bats are fast flyers with long narrow wings.  They range from southern Arizona and Texas through Central America, the caribbean islands, and parts of South America.  Their local distribution may be limited by the availability of warm, humid caves.