What Predators Eat Bats? A Complete Guide 

There are over 1,400 bat species worldwide, with over 50 bat species in the U.S. Bats range widely in size, from tiny microbats only an inch long to megabats with wingspans over 5.5 feet. These flying mammals can be found in a wide variety of climates and habitats except for extremely hot areas and polar regions. Bats have surprisingly few predators, but they are still in danger from some large birds, reptiles, and mammals. Read on to learn about the animals that eat bats.

Which Animals Prey on Bats?

Bats in different regions and of different sizes have different predators. Over 70% of bats are microbats, which are widely distributed across the globe. Megabats, also called flying foxes, are Old World bats, found in tropical regions in Africa, Asia, Australia, and the islands of Oceania. Birds of prey, small predatory mammals, and reptiles are bats’ primary threats. In the following paragraphs, we will take a closer look at the animals that eat bats.

Birds of Prey

Few birds of prey prioritize bats in their diet, but many opportunistic birds consume bats. Bat hawks of Africa and South Asia to New Guinea exclusively eat bats. Bat falcons, found from Mexico to South America, feed primarily on bats. Peregrine falcons, orange-breasted falcons, tropical screech-owls, great horned owls, broad-winged hawks, and aplomado falcons have also been observed to prey on bats in Central and South America. In North America, owls such as the great horned owl and barn owl eat bats. Raptors including red-tailed hawks, peregrine falcons, Swainson’s hawks, Cooper’s hawks, and sharp-shinned hawks are known to hunt and kill bats.

In Africa, Wahlberg’s eagles, African goshawks, crowned eagles, martial eagles, and African fish eagles hunt large fruit bats. In Europe, owls are believed to be the largest predators of bats. Researchers found barn and tawny owls captured the most bats, but long-eared owls, short-eared owls, and eagle owls were also recorded eating bats. Other raptor predators include kestrels, peregrine falcons, and Eurasian hobby falcons. In addition to the bat hawk and the Eurasian hobby, Wallace’s hawk-eagles in the Malay Peninsula are known to prey on bats in Asia. Owls use their specialized hearing to prey on bats, while raptors have been found to wait outside caves to prey on emerging or returning bats. Some raptors also pursue bats in the air.

Other Mammals

Small predatory mammals also consume bats. Domestic and feral cats are reported to kill bats in all of the major land-based habitats. In North America, raccoons, Virginia opossums, foxes, weasels, stoats, bobcats, cougars, and rats have been recorded to prey on bats. In Central and South America, common opossums and coatis are known to consume bats. Some bat species, such as spectral bats, also prey on other bats.

In the Old World, monkeys have been found to prey on bats. Cercopithecus monkeys in Africa were recorded to snatch bats from their day-roosting trees. Other primates such as Philippine tarsiers are also known to prey on young bats. False vampire bats, found in Africa, Asia, and Australia, prey on other bats. Civets and weasels have been recorded to eat bats as well. Additionally, in some regions of Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific Islands, humans consume large fruit bat species as bushmeat.

Reptiles

Researchers have found that at least 20 snake species have been found to prey on bats in the tropics of the New World. Boas account for the highest number of bat predation occurrences. Many of these species are arboreal or semi-arboreal and hunt bats by hanging from cave roofs to snatch the bats in mid-air. Puerto Rican boas, Cuban boas, rainbow boas, rat snakes, coachwhips, and night snakes have all been recorded consuming bats.

In the Old World, opportunistic lizards such as the Asian water monitor and the white-throated water monitor are known to eat bats. Australian freshwater crocodiles also grab bats in mid-air or just above the surface of the water when the bats come to the water to drink. A population of African dwarf crocodiles in Gabon’s Abanda caves lives in complete darkness and primarily feeds on bats and cave invertebrates.