Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat vs Cinnamon antechinus

Sturnira koopmanhilli compared with Antechinus leo

Key Differences

  • Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat is Data Deficient while Cinnamon antechinus is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat Cinnamon antechinus
Kingdom same Animalia (Animals) Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same Chordata (Chordates) Chordata (Chordates)
Class same Mammalia (Mammals) Mammalia (Mammals)
Order Chiroptera (Bats) Dasyuromorphia (Dasyuromorphia)
Family Phyllostomidae Dasyuridae
Genus Sturnira Antechinus
Species Sturnira koopmanhilli Antechinus leo

Evolutionary Relationship

Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat and Cinnamon antechinus share a common ancestor at the Class level: Mammalia. (Mammals)

Conservation Status

Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat

DD — Data Deficient

Cinnamon antechinus

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat Cinnamon antechinus
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Ecuador.

Cinnamon antechinus

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat

The Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat (Sturnira koopmanhilli) is a medium-sized frugivorous bat in the family Phyllostomidae, endemic to the Chocó biogeographic region of northwestern South America, where it occurs in the humid forests of the Pacific slope of Colombia and adjacent Ecuador. It belongs to the genus Sturnira — the yellow-shouldered bats — characterised by males bearing distinctive yellowish, orange, or reddish shoulder glands (from which the group's name derives), robust bodies, and rounded ears. Like all Sturnira, this species is primarily frugivorous, consuming a wide range of small, soft fruits from pioneer and forest trees, and plays an important role as a seed disperser in disturbed forest patches and forest edges. The diet of Solanaceae (nightshade family) fruits is particularly typical of the genus, and Sturnira bats are considered the primary dispersers of many pioneer Solanum species in Neotropical secondary succession, contributing directly to forest regeneration. The IUCN classifies the Choco Yellow-shouldered Bat as Data Deficient, reflecting significant uncertainty about the species' distribution limits, population size, and ecological requirements. The Chocó region continues to experience rapid deforestation, which threatens frugivorous bat diversity even where individual species lack adequate data for formal threat assessment.

Cinnamon antechinus

The cinnamon antechinus (Antechinus leo) is a small marsupial in the family Dasyuridae, endemic to northeastern Queensland, Australia, particularly the Cape York Peninsula. It inhabits tropical and subtropical rainforest and forest margins at low elevations, sheltering in tree hollows, dense vine tangles, and fallen logs. Like all antechinuses, it is a specialist insectivore, consuming beetles, cockroaches, moths, and other invertebrates, and occasionally small lizards. The cinnamon antechinus is named for its rich cinnamon-brown dorsal fur. A remarkable feature shared by all antechinus species is semelparous reproduction: males undergo a catastrophic physiological decline and die shortly after a brief, intense mating season in winter, leaving only the pregnant females to carry the population into the next generation. This extreme reproductive strategy results in completely male-free populations for most of the year. The species is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN, with populations within Cape York's relatively intact tropical forest. However, like all antechinuses, it faces threats from feral predators (cats and foxes), habitat degradation, and altered fire regimes. Climate change poses a long-term risk by shrinking the cool, moist forest habitats this species depends on. Genetic studies of Australian antechinuses have revealed considerable cryptic diversity.

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