Pacific sheath-tailed bat

The Pacific sheath-tailed bat or Polynesian sheath-tailed bat (Emballonura semicaudata) is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae^[2] found in American Samoa, Fiji, Guam, Micronesia, Palau, Samoa (where it is called pe'a vai, tagiti or pe'ape'a vai), Tonga, and Vanuatu. Its natural habitat is caves.

Pacific sheath-tailed bat
Conservation status
Endangered  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Emballonuridae
Genus:	Emballonura
Species:	E. semicaudata
Binomial name
Emballonura semicaudata Peale, 1848
Pacific sheath-tailed bat range (red — extant, black — extinct)

In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species on its worldwide priority list for conservation.^[3] It is threatened by habitat loss. There are estimated to be approximately 500 individuals of the subspecies E. s. rotensis.^[4] Currently known to roost in only three caves, E. s. rotensis is vulnerable to changes in the local habitat, including indirect impacts caused by invasive species such as goats^[4] which limit its carrying capacity.