Know Before You Go

© 

Bat Facts | Costa Rica Wildlife Guide

The most numerous mammals found throughout Costa Rica are, by far, bats. You may easily come across them slumbering by day halfway up a tree, folded up in a banana palm or roosting inside a cracked fence post. Bats are nocturnal and most are lunarphobic, which means they avoid bright light, even moonlight. While most bats feed on insects, others eat fruit or lap nectar from night-blooming flowers. A few species feed on fish, frogs and small vertebrates. But no matter what they feed on, bats are highly beneficial, both ecologically and economically, especially if left alone.

There are more than 100 native bat species in Costa Rica, and they come in a variety of sizes and colors. They range in size from the large Vampyrum spectrum, or false vampire bat, with a wingspan of nearly 3 feet, to the Rhynchonycteris naso, or proboscis bat, which weighs less than two U.S. pennies. Despite some bat species’ peculiar looks, these creatures are generally harmless to humans and are actually quite helpful as pollinators, seed dispersers, and pest exterminators. The majority of these animals are frugivores, such as the large Jamaican fruit bat and tent-making bat, or insectivores, like the rare, white Northern ghost bat.

Vampire bats are a different matter. Although these amazing mammals have been known to adopt orphans and to risk their lives to share food with roost-mates, they have also been of serious concern to Latin American ranchers. This species causes approximately $100 million in damage each year on livestock in Central and South America. Vampire bats land on, or close to, sleeping mammals, preferably cattle. Using two razor-sharp incisors, they will puncture the farm animal, and aided by the glycoprotein in their saliva that keeps blood from clotting will squat beside the wound and lick up the blood while it flows.

Conservation officials and ranchers have made progress in controlling vampire bats where they are a problem, avoiding the needless killing of beneficial species. However, much remains to be done. Vampire bats are only one species of at least 110 in Costa Rica, and humans usually are not at risk of being bitten.

Bats have developed a highly sophisticated sonar system called echolocation. These creatures emit calls that bounce off objects around them and send signals back. As a result, bats can determine how far away an object is, how big it is, and even what texture it might have.

One of the most interesting types of bat, which usually roost near water, is the greater bulldog or fisherman bat. Cheek pouches, pointed ears and a blunt nose give this bat the appearance of a bulldog, but its huge feet with long claws make it an outstanding angler. Fisherman bats use their finely tuned echolocation to detect the slightest ripples in water and will rake their feet along the water’s surface before snatching a slippery fish with their sharp claws.

Bats are very important as seed dispersers and pollinators. In fact, some plants depend completely on bats as their pollinators. Just after sunset, bats swoop through the air, capturing large amounts of mosquitoes, moths and other insects, lapping up nectar or feeding on fruit.

Header Credit: Gavin Lautenbach
See Bats on These Costa Rican Adventures
Admin Note : Repeater Settings
Current Settings: trip
Edit Settings
Know Before You Go

Send Me Travel Emails

Get the Inside Scoop on the

World of Nature Travel

Our weekly eNewsletters highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Me Travel Emails
Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Privacy Policy
Thank you for joining our email list

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add naturalhabitat@nathab.com to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Get Weekly Updates

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more.

Privacy Policy
We're Proud of the Reputation We’ve Earned
Voted "World's Best Travel Company" by Outside Magazine
Travel & Leisure logo
Voted "Top Tour Operator" in Travel + Leisure World's Best Awards
Newsweek logo
Voted "Best Adventure Travel Company" in Newsweek Reader's Choice Awards
VIEW MORE AWARDS

View Our 2025/2026 Digital Catalog

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Nathab 2024 Catalog

Together, Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Fund have teamed up to arrange nearly 100 nature travel experiences around the planet, while helping to protect the magnificent places we visit and their wild inhabitants.

Natural Habitat Adventures and World Wildlife Logos
Request Your 2025/26 Catalog
Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Continued - Page 2 of 2
To help us customize your catalog request, please tell us more about your travel needs:
Thank you for requesting a catalog
We’ve received your request. If you have any questions about our trips, please feel free to contact an Adventure Specialist today by calling 800-543-8917.

Get Weekly Updatess

Discover the World's Best

Nature Travel Experiences

Our weekly eNewsletter highlights new adventures, exclusive offers, webinars, nature news, travel ideas, photography tips and more. Sign up today!

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Me Travel Emails
Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Privacy Policy
Thank you for joining our email list!

Look for a special welcome message in your inbox, arriving shortly! Be sure to add naturalhabitat@nathab.com to your email contacts so you don’t miss out on future emails.

Send Us a Message

Send Us a Message

Have a question or comment? Use the form to the right to get in touch with us.

Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Send Us a Message
Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Thank you for your message

We’ll be in touch soon with a response.

Refer a Friend

Refer a Friend,
Get $250 Off
Earn rewards for referring your friends! We'd like to thank our loyal travelers for spreading the word. Share your friend's address so we can send a catalog, and if your friend takes a trip as a first-time Nat Hab traveler, you'll receive a $250 Nat Hab credit you can use toward a future trip or the purchase of Nat Hab gear. To refer a friend, just complete the form below or call us at 800-543-8917. It's that easy! See rules and fine print here.
Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
Refer a Friend

Earn rewards for referring your friends! We'd like to thank our loyal travelers for spreading the word. Share your friend's address so we can send a catalog, and if your friend takes a trip as a first-time Nat Hab traveler, you'll receive a $250 Nat Hab credit you can use toward a future trip or the purchase of Nat Hab gear. To refer a friend, just complete the form below or call us at 800-543-8917. It's that easy! See rules and fine print here.

Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Thank you for the referral!

We've received your friend's information.

View Our 2025/2026 Digital Catalog

View Our 2025/2026

Digital Catalog

Help us save paper! We offer a digital version of The World's Greatest Nature Journeys. If you'd prefer a mailed copy, please provide your contact details here. To view our digital catalog, please enter your info in the form to the right.
Natural Habitat Adventures Logo WWF Logo
View Digital Catalog
Text Messaging Policy Message and data rates may apply. You can unsubscribe from SMS at any time by texting STOP. Reply HELP for help. 2-4 promotional msgs/month. Informational msg frequency varies.
Happy browsing!

Thanks for requesting access to our digital catalog. Click here to view it now. You’ll also receive it by email momentarily.

Our Trips

Polar Bear Tours

Polar Bear Tours

African Safaris

African Safaris

Galapagos Tours

Galapagos Tours

Alaska Adventures

Alaska Adventures

U.S. National Parks Tours

U.S. National Parks Tours

Canada & the North

Canada & the North

Europe Adventures

Europe Adventures

Mexico & Central America Tours

Mexico & Central America Tours

South America Adventures

South America Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Asia & Pacific Adventures

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Antarctica & Arctic Journeys

Photography Expeditions

Photography Expeditions

Adventure Cruises

Adventure Cruises

Women's Adventures

Women's Adventures

Family Adventures

Family Adventures

New Adventures

New Adventures

Questions? Call 800-543-8917

Contact Us

Have a question or comment?
Click any of the buttons below to get in touch with us.

Hours
Mountain Time

  • 8 am to 5 pm, Monday - Friday
  • 8 am to 3 pm on Saturday
  • Closed on Sunday
Call 800-543-8917
Questions? Click to Chat
Questions? Click to Chat
/know-before-you-go/mexico-central-america/costa-rica/wildlife-guide/bats/