Thomas's Big-eared Bat
CR

Thomas's Big-eared Bat

Pharotis imogene

Stable

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (CC) via https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Guinea_big-eared_bat

Overview

A detailed profile for this species is sourced from the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species as assessments become available.

Pharotis imogene faces severe threats from extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its limited range in New Guinea's lowland forests. Mining activities and agricultural expansion have destroyed critical roosting sites, while the species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions. Climate change poses additional pressure through altered precipitation patterns affecting the forest ecosystems this bat depends upon.

Threat summary

Habitat

This critically endangered bat inhabits primary and secondary lowland rainforests of New Guinea, typically roosting in tree hollows and dense forest canopy. The species appears to prefer undisturbed forest areas with complex vertical structure that provides suitable foraging opportunities for insects.

Forest· majorForest - Subtropical/tropical moist lowland· majorGrassland· major

Conservation measures underway

Species recovery

Other threatened species in VESPERTILIONIDAE

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Montipora calcarea

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Arnaz's Damselfish

Chrysiptera arnazae

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Cryptocarya pergamentacea

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Montipora capitataEN

Montipora capitata

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Frequently asked questions

Why is Thomas's Big-eared Bat classified as Critically Endangered?
Thomas's Big-eared Bat is classified as Critically Endangered — facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild — because population sizes are very small, declining sharply, or restricted to a tiny range. Pharotis imogene faces severe threats from extensive deforestation and habitat fragmentation across its limited range in New Guinea's lowland forests. Mining activities and agricultural expansion have destroyed critical roosting sites, while the species' extremely restricted distribution makes it particularly vulnerable to local extinctions. Climate change poses additional pressure through altered precipitation patterns affecting the forest ecosystems this bat depends upon.
Where does Thomas's Big-eared Bat live?
Thomas's Big-eared Bat occurs in Papua New Guinea. Country-level distribution data is sourced from the IUCN Red List and cross-referenced with GBIF occurrences.
What are the main threats to Thomas's Big-eared Bat?
The main threats to Thomas's Big-eared Bat are 5.3, 5.4, 7.1, and ai-1. The full IUCN-classified threat record for this species is detailed on the species page.

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