---
title: "Greater Sac-winged Bat"
description: "Saccopteryx bilineata — Mammals. The greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) is a bat of the family Emballonuridae native to Central and South America."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/animal/greater-sac-winged-bat
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Greater Sac-winged Bat

> Saccopteryx bilineata — Mammals. The greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) is a bat of the family Emballonuridae native to Central and South America.

- Scientific name: *Saccopteryx bilineata*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammals)
- Habitats: `forest` (Forest), `jungle` (Jungle)
- iNaturalist observations: 2772
- Wikidata: [Q1548367](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1548367)
- iNaturalist taxon: [41337](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41337)

## Names

- en: Greater Sac-winged Bat
- de: Große Sackflügelfledermaus
- es: Murciélago rayado mayor
- fr: Saccoptère à deux bandes
- nl: Tweestrepige zakvleermuis
- pl: Kieszennik dwupręgi

## Countries with the most observations

MX (352), CR (271), BZ (79), PA (57), CO (42), EC (35), NI (25), HN (22), BO (21), BR (17), GT (17), PE (17)

## Summary

The greater sac-winged bat (Saccopteryx bilineata) is a bat of the family Emballonuridae native to Central and South America.
They are common bats seen in the rainforest, as they often roost on the outside of large trees. They are insectivores and use echolocation calls through the mouth to track their prey, which includes flies, beetles, butterflies and moths. The long nose and upper lip are highly mobile and can shift upward to enlarge the mouth opening.

The term "sac-winged" refers to small pouches on the wings.  These sacs are used by males to attract females and to mark their harem territory.  During daily grooming…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greater_sac-winged_bat

## Photo

![Greater Sac-winged Bat](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/greater-sac-winged-bat/medium.jpg)

Photo: Steph Brulot-Sawchyn · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/297135774

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/greater-sac-winged-bat?lang=en` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).