Chilean devil ray vs Common Sword-nosed Bat

Mobula tarapacana compared with Lonchorhina aurita

Key Differences

• Chilean devil ray is Endangered while Common Sword-nosed Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Chilean devil ray	Common Sword-nosed Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Myliobatidae	Phyllostomidae
Genus	Mobula	Lonchorhina
Species	Mobula tarapacana	Lonchorhina aurita

Evolutionary Relationship

Chilean devil ray and Common Sword-nosed Bat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Chilean devil ray

EN — Endangered

Common Sword-nosed Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Chilean devil ray	Common Sword-nosed Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Chilean 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, Colombia, Portugal, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Common Sword-nosed Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Chilean devil ray

The Chilean devil ray (Mobula tarapacana) 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.

Common Sword-nosed Bat

<em>Lonchorhina aurita</em>, the common sword-nosed bat, is a microchiropteran bat in the family Phyllostomidae, order Chiroptera. It is distributed across northern South America, with confirmed records from Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela, typically roosting in caves, tunnels, and hollow trees in humid tropical forests. The species is named for its exceptionally elongated, sword-like noseleaf, one of the most prominent of any bat species, which is thought to play a role in echolocation signal emission and directionality. <em>Lonchorhina aurita</em> is insectivorous, feeding primarily on insects captured in flight through echolocation within forested environments. It is typically gregarious, roosting in colonies that may include hundreds of individuals. Biological traits including average lifespan, body mass, and forearm length under field conditions remain poorly documented in the scientific literature. The species is assessed as Least Concern by the IUCN, with a reasonably broad distribution and populations that are not currently under severe threat, though continued deforestation and cave disturbance in South America may pose growing risks to local colonies over the long term.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇻🇪 Venezuela