Rare Arnhem Sheath-tailed Bat Recorded 400 Miles From Its Last Known Location in Northern Australia
A scientist's handheld detector picked up the elusive microbat's call during a survey at an Australian Wildlife Conservancy sanctuary.
A rare microbat has turned up far from where it was last known to live. Good Good Good reports that the Arnhem sheath-tailed bat was detected at Pungalina-Seven Emu Wildlife Sanctuary in northern Australia, about 400 miles from its last known location.
A lucky recording
Scientist Oli Aylen of the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC) was helping set up canopy mist nets around mangroves when his handheld bat detector captured the animal's echolocation call as bats flew overhead. He said the species has an unusually short call for a bat calling at that frequency.
The bat was first described in 1979 and has been recorded on camera only a handful of times since, according to the report. AWC, which has protected the sanctuary since 2008, already lists the species there from targeted microbat surveys in its 2025 EcoHealth report, which described the finding as a significant range extension.
Why it matters
- More than 2,200 of Australia's native species are listed as endangered, threatened or vulnerable
- Little is known about where this bat roosts, which makes it hard to protect
- Every confirmed location helps conservationists understand where the species lives
"The more we know, the better we can protect them," Aylen said.
What's next
AWC plans to make the species a priority in its targeted EcoHealth surveys. Aylen hopes to catch some of the bats and find out where they roost, a key gap in knowledge. He said the bat "needs ongoing research and more conservation attention," a reminder that a new sighting is the start of the work, not a sign the species is secure.
