Seychelles sheath-tailed bat

The Seychelles sheath-tailed bat (Coleura seychellensis) is a sac-winged bat of the family Emballonuridae found in the central granitic islands of the Seychelles. It is a nocturnal insectivore that roosts communally in caves. The species was once abundant across much of the archipelago but has lost much of its habitat and is extinct on most islands. The IUCN lists it as Critically Endangered because of population decline, mainly through land development, the effects of coconut plantations and kudzu, which reduced scrub and insect prey, and the introduction of invasive species, and fewer than 100 animals are believed to exist. Wilhelm Peters described it in 1868 from a specimen collected on Mahe. Adults weigh about 10 to 11 g and measure 55 to 65 mm in length. Recent research found that it is a species of small clearings in forest that feeds on a wide variety of insects, is very vulnerable to disturbance and needs several roost sites within healthy habitat. The largest surviving roost is on Silhouette Island, with small roosts on Mahe, Praslin and La Digue. Bat Conservation International listed it on its 2013 priority list of 35 bat species.