White Bat
Ectophylla alba
- KingdomAnimalia (Animals)
- PhylumChordata (Cordats)
- ClassMammalia (Mamífers)
- OrderChiroptera (Ratpenats)
- FamilyPhyllostomidae (New World Leaf-nosed Bats)
- GenusEctophylla
- SpeciesEctophylla alba (White Bat)
The Honduran white bat (Ectophylla alba), also called the Caribbean white tent-making bat, is a species of bat in the family Phyllostomatidae. It is the only member of the genus Ectophylla. The genus and the species were both scientifically described for the first time in 1892. It has distinctive, entirely white fur, which is only found in six of the roughly 1,300 known species of bat. It constructs "tents" out of understory plant leaves by strategically cutting the leaf ribs with its teeth; it roosts in these tents during the day. It is a specialist frugivore, consuming almost exclusively the fruits of one species of fig. Wikipedia →
5–10% of wildlife watchers report a White Bat sighting in Tortuguero National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
Closest Relatives at Tortuguero National Park
Vampire Bat
Desmodus rotundus
Jamaican Fruit-eating Bat
Artibeus jamaicensis
Striped Yellow-eared Bat
Vampyriscus nymphaea
Common tent-making Bat
Uroderma bilobatum
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Greater Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx bilineata
Spix's Disk-winged Bat
Thyroptera tricolor
Lesser Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx leptura
📅 Monthly Probability
☀️ When They're Spotted
Most active during daytime hours (6am–6pm) · across all parks (global)
Global Distribution
Where this species is recorded worldwide. Restricted to human observations from 2019 onwards — the same kind of record and the same period the probabilities on this page are built from, so collar-tracking studies, camera-trap arrays and museum specimens are excluded. Around Santa Rosa that removes 5,924 GPS fixes from a handful of tagged jaguars.
where this species is recorded (GBIF density — it tracks where observers go, not how likely a sighting is) · parks where it occurs — tap a pin for the sighting probability there
Parks Where Found
| # | Park | Country | Probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Braulio Carrillo National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 2 | Tortuguero National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 3 | Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte National Park | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 4 | Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | |
| 5 | La Amistad International Park (Panama) | 🇵🇦 Panama |
Quick answers
What are the chances of seeing a White Bat in Tortuguero National Park?
About 8% of wildlife watchers report a White Bat sighting in Tortuguero National Park, based on 5 days of visitor records from GBIF citizen-science data.
When is the best time to see White Bat in Tortuguero National Park?
May has the highest sighting rate for White Bat in Tortuguero National Park in our monthly data.