Bentfin devil ray vs Chocolate Wattled Bat

Mobula thurstoni compared with Chalinolobus morio

Key Differences

• Bentfin devil ray is Endangered while Chocolate Wattled Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Bentfin devil ray	Chocolate Wattled Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Myliobatidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Mobula	Chalinolobus
Species	Mobula thurstoni	Chalinolobus morio

Evolutionary Relationship

Bentfin devil ray and Chocolate Wattled Bat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Bentfin devil ray

EN — Endangered

Chocolate Wattled Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Bentfin devil ray	Chocolate Wattled Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Bentfin devil ray

Habitat

Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Range

Distributed across Chile and Taiwan. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Chocolate Wattled Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Bentfin devil ray

The Bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni) is a species in the genus Mobula. It is currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Found across multiple habitat types including temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, temperate grasslands and steppes, and montane grasslands and shrublands, among 5 distinct biome types within the Neotropic biogeographic realm.

Chocolate Wattled Bat

The Chocolate Wattled Bat (Chalinolobus morio) is a small insectivorous bat in the family Vespertilionidae, endemic to Australia, where it is one of the more widespread members of the genus Chalinolobus — the wattled bats, named for the fleshy lobes (wattles) at the corners of the mouth. Chalinolobus morio is uniformly dark brown to chocolate-brown in colour, compact in build, and has the short, broad wings characteristic of bats that forage in cluttered forest environments at moderate to low altitudes. It is distributed across much of temperate and subtropical eastern Australia, southwestern Australia, and Tasmania, inhabiting diverse forest types from eucalypt woodland and mallee to tropical dry forest. The species roosts in tree hollows, bat boxes, and occasionally in buildings, sometimes forming small colonies. It feeds nocturnally on moths, beetles, mosquitoes, and other flying insects, using echolocation to detect and pursue prey. Like other hollow-dependent bats in Australia, populations are sensitive to the loss of large, old eucalypts with natural cavities. The IUCN classifies Chalinolobus morio as Least Concern given its broad distribution and relatively large population across Australia. Ongoing threats include hollow-bearing tree removal, roost disturbance, cat predation, and barbed wire entanglement.