Smoky Bats: Family Furipteridae

The head and ears of these bats resemble those of the funnel-eared bats.  Smoky bats, also called thumbless bats, have their thumb and tiny claw partially enclosed within the wing membrane, so that they appear thumbless.  The tail is also relatively short, only about half the length of the tail membrane.  The dense fur is coarse and is gray to grayish brown in color.  Smoky bats are among the smallest bats known, ranging from a little less than 1.5 inches to slightly more than 2 inches in length.  Both species in this family feed on insects.  Unfortunately, not much is known about these intriguing little bats.