Coastal stingaree vs Common Tent-making Bat

Urolophus orarius compared with Uroderma bilobatum

Key Differences

• Coastal stingaree is Endangered while Common Tent-making Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Coastal stingaree	Common Tent-making Bat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Elasmobranchii	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Myliobatiformes (Myliobatiformes)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Urolophidae	Phyllostomidae
Genus	Urolophus	Uroderma
Species	Urolophus orarius	Uroderma bilobatum

Evolutionary Relationship

Coastal stingaree and Common Tent-making Bat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Coastal stingaree

EN — Endangered

Common Tent-making Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Coastal stingaree	Common Tent-making Bat
Diet	—	—
Average Lifespan	—	—
Average Length	—	—
Average Weight	—	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Coastal stingaree

Common Tent-making Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

Coastal stingaree

Coastal stingaree (Urolophus orarius) is a small batoid ray in the family Urolophidae, endemic to shallow coastal waters of southern Australia, particularly along the coasts of South Australia, Victoria, and Tasmania. Like other stingarees, it has a rounded disc, a short tail armed with one or two venomous spines, and lacks a distinct rostrum. It inhabits sandy and muddy nearshore substrates in depths typically less than 30 metres, where it forages for polychaete worms, crustaceans, and small molluscs buried in the seabed. Females are ovoviviparous, giving birth to small litters of live young following internal development. Coastal stingaree is assessed as Endangered by the IUCN, driven by its restricted range, slow reproductive rate, and significant bycatch in inshore commercial and recreational fisheries operating across southern Australian coastal waters. Bottom trawling, prawn trawling, and gillnetting are identified as major threats. The species receives limited targeted conservation attention and is not currently the subject of specific fisheries management measures. Its small home range and coastal distribution make it especially vulnerable to localised fishery impacts.

Common Tent-making Bat

<em>Uroderma bilobatum</em>, the tent-making bat, is a leaf-nosed bat in the family Phyllostomidae, distributed across Central America and northern South America, including Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List due to its wide range and tolerance of secondary and disturbed habitats. This bat is named for its remarkable behavior of biting through the midribs of large palm or Heliconia leaves to cause them to fold into tent-like roosts, which are used for shelter by small colonies. It typically inhabits tropical and subtropical lowland forests, forest edges, and plantations. The diet consists primarily of fruits, particularly figs, making it an important seed disperser in neotropical ecosystems. Roosting groups are typically small, composed of one male and several females. The species uses echolocation for navigation. Biological traits such as precise wing dimensions, body weight, and longevity remain poorly documented in standardized assessments, though adults typically weigh between 13 and 20 grams.