coast amaranth vs Common Sword-nosed Bat

Amaranthus pumilus compared with Lonchorhina aurita

Key Differences

  • coast amaranth is Extinct while Common Sword-nosed Bat is Least Concern.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank coast amaranth Common Sword-nosed Bat
Kingdom Plantae (растения) Animalia (животные)
Phylum Magnoliophyta (магнолиофиты) Chordata (хордовые)
Class Magnoliopsida (Dicots) Mammalia (млекопитающие)
Order Caryophyllales (гвоздичноцветные) Chiroptera (рукокрылые)
Family Amaranthaceae Phyllostomidae
Genus Amaranthus Lonchorhina
Species Amaranthus pumilus Lonchorhina aurita

Conservation Status

coast amaranth

EX — Extinct

Common Sword-nosed Bat

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute coast amaranth Common Sword-nosed Bat
Diet
Average Lifespan
Average Length
Average Weight

Habitat & Geographic Range

coast amaranth

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial habitats from tropical forests to temperate regions.

Range

Found in Japan.

Common Sword-nosed Bat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela.

coast amaranth

Coast amaranth (Amaranthus pumilus) is an annual herb in the family Amaranthaceae, native to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the eastern United States, where it once grew on coastal foredunes, beach strand, and shell-hash substrates above the high tide line from New York south to South Carolina. It is a low-growing, fleshy plant with small, rounded leaves and inconspicuous green flowers typical of the genus. Coast amaranth is assessed as Extinct in the Wild by the IUCN, as it has not been reliably documented from wild populations since the mid-20th century; the last confirmed collections date to the 1960s. The species' decline and likely extinction resulted from intense human pressure on Atlantic coastal habitats through shoreline development, beach stabilisation, vehicular traffic on beaches, and increased storm frequency disrupting pioneer dune vegetation. It is federally listed as Threatened in the United States, though this listing predates confirmed extinction in the wild. A small number of ex-situ accessions may exist in botanical garden collections. Genetic material and seed banking efforts represent the only remaining conservation options for this critically reduced species.

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.

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