SHEATH-TAILED BAT

also called Sac-winged Bat, any bat of the family Emballonuridae, suborder Microchiroptera. Sheath-tailed bats are found worldwide in tropical and subtropical regions. Their common name refers to the way in which the tail protrudes from a sheath in the membrane attached to the hind legs. Sac-winged bat, another name for the emballonurids, refers to the glandular sacs in the wing membranes of several genera. Sheath-tailed bats are about 410 centimetres (1 1/24 inches) long without the 0.63-cm tail, and they weigh about 530 grams (1/61 ounce). They are usually black, brown, or gray, and some are striped or mottled. They shelter in relatively open places, such as shallow caves. Among the 12 genera and 50 species of the family are the sac-winged bats (Saccopteryx), which are white-striped bats of Central and South America; ghost bats (Diclidurus), which are white or white and gray bats, also of the New World; and tomb bats (Taphozous), which are swift-flying bats found from Africa through southern Asia to Australia.