Yellow-bellied Pouched Bat

The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat is quite large with a mean body weight of 44 g that ranges from 28 to 60 g, and a mean head-body length of 81.8 mm that ranges from 72.3-91.9 mm. It has distinct fur colouration, with the dorsal back being a shiny jet black and the ventral underside a contrasting creamy white. Males of the species have a distinctive gular throat pouch that is believed to play a role in territorial marking. The throat pouch is absent in females, which instead have naked folds of skin around their throats. Unlike many other sheathtails, this species does not have a wing pouch in either sex. Other distinguishing features of the yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat are a flattened head and sharply pointed muzzle, a mean forearm length of 74–77 mm, and a mean outer canine width of 6.4 mm.

The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat appears to be wide-ranging, occurring across most parts of eastern and northern Australia, though in what densities remains uncertain due to the difficulties associated with capture and detection of the species. Much of the distribution understanding of this species has developed as a result of incidental sightings, such as one record from central western Queensland that was taken from a mummified bat found on a barbed-wire fence. Though most common throughout the tropical regions of their range, yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats are known to occur regularly in semi-arid environments including the Mallee region of north-western Victoria, Gundabooka National Park in northwestern New South Wales, and central-western Queensland. This species likely migrates into its southerly range during summer, with seasonal records placing bats in most parts of Victoria, southwestern New South Wales, and the adjacent regions of South Australia. Though less common, two specimens of yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats have been found in Papua New Guinea, one in the National Capital District and the other in Central Province. This species occupies most wooded habitats, including both wet and dry sclerophyll forest, mallee and Acacia shrubland, desert, and open woodland. …

Yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bats are canopy feeders, meaning that they are capable of fast flight, but inefficient at rapid maneuvering. They generally feed at heights of 20–25 m, unless feeding in open spaces or at forest edges, where they forage lower. Studies of stomach contents have found Orthoptera (grasshopper), Coleoptera (beetle), and Hemiptera (true bug) species, with beetles making up the bulk of the diet.