Overview
Wynne’s Disk-Winged Bat (Thyroptera wynneae) is an extraordinary, tiny insectivorous bat described to science in 2014 from the pristine lowland rainforests of Loreto and Madre de Dios in western Amazonian Peru. Named in honor of American mammalogist Patricia J. Wynne, this miniature flying mammal belongs to the specialized Neotropical family Thyropteridae. Unlike almost all other bats that hang upside-down by sharp toe claws, Wynne’s disk-winged bat is equipped with specialized circular adhesive suction disks on its thumbs and ankles, allowing it to roost head-upwards inside the slick, unfurling vertical tube leaves of wild jungle plants.
Biology and Physical Characteristics
Thyroptera wynneae is one of the smallest members of its genus, with an adult mass averaging roughly four grams—about the weight of a sheet of folded paper. Its pelage is soft, dense, and bi-colored, featuring a warm sepia-brown dorsal coat with pale silver-frosted tips and a distinctly white to light-buff ventral belly. The defining evolutionary marvel of the species is its circular, pedunculated fleshy suction pads positioned at the base of the pollex (thumb) and on the soles of the hind feet. These disks are operated by tiny muscles that create negative pressure, and are lubricated by sweat-like glandular secretions, producing true hydrostatic suction.
Behavior and Ecology
Strictly nocturnal and highly social, Wynne’s disk-winged bat roosts exclusively inside the young, tightly rolled, vertical cone-shaped leaves of giant wild Heliconia, Calathea, and wild banana plants. Because these tropical leaves unfurl completely within 24 to 48 hours, losing their conical roosting shape, colonies must relocate and find a freshly unfurling leaf tube virtually every single day. Using their adhesive suction disks, individuals cling securely in a head-upwards orientation to the waxy, frictionless inner walls. Within their acoustic leaf chimneys, they emit unique social echolocation ‘inquiry’ and ‘response’ calls that guide clan mates directly into the new roost tube.
Conservation and Human Impact
Assessed as Data Deficient due to its recent taxonomic description and the difficulty of locating ephemeral roost tubes in dense jungle, Thyroptera wynneae is entirely reliant on pristine, primary Amazonian riverine ecosystems where large-leafed monocots flourish. Deforestation for cattle ranching, illegal gold mining dredging along Peruvian river corridors, and agricultural fires destroy the riparian Heliconia stands essential for their daily roosting survival.
Interesting Factoid
This tiny 4-gram bat does not hang upside down by its claws like normal bats—instead, it has built-in suction cups on its wrists and ankles that work like suction plungers, letting it walk right-side-up inside slick, slippery jungle leaves!
Last updated: October 2026