CreatureData

Lesser false vampire bat

Megaderma spasma (Linnaeus, 1758)

LCLeast Concernbats

The lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) is a species in the family Megadermatidae, order Chiroptera. Recorded adults weigh 25.4 g to 38.6 g and live up to 14 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

No freely licensed photo yet

Quick facts about the lesser false vampire bat

Weight
25.4 g – 38.6 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
14 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
forestsrc for Habitat
Gestation
150 dayssrc for Gestation
Young per litter or clutch
1src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
14.8 months – 19.1 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1src for Litters or clutches a year
Active
At night (nocturnal)src for Active
Lifestyle
Terrestrialsrc for Lifestyle
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

Photos of the lesser false vampire bat

Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.

1 more photo exists under a licence we cannot display: view at source.

Where does the lesser false vampire bat live?

Not recorded

What is the lesser false vampire bat?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) is a bat found in South Asia and Southeast Asia from Sri Lanka and India in the west to Indonesia and the Philippines in the east. They live in caves and tree hollows. They are insectivorous.

From the Wikipedia article “Lesser false vampire bat” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lesser_false_vampire_bat&oldid=1381116830), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the lesser false vampire bat endangered?

The lesser false vampire bat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the lesser false vampire bat classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classMammalia
  4. orderChiroptera
  5. familyMegadermatidae
  6. genusMegaderma
  7. SpeciesMegaderma spasma (Linnaeus, 1758)

Synonyms Vespertilio spasma

Other names and names in other languages (20)
  • Common Asian ghost batEnglish
  • Common Asian ghost batEnglish
  • Lesser false vampireEnglish
  • Lesser false vampireEnglish
  • megaderma maláCzech
  • Kleiner Falscher VampirGerman
  • Malaiischer Falscher VampirGerman
  • pikkuvalevampyyriFinnish
  • Mégaderme de SebaFrench
  • Falso vampiro minoreItalian
  • Falso pipistrello vampiro minoreItalian
  • コアラコウモリJapanese
  • ReuzenoorvleermuisDutch
  • Lironos żółtożyłkowanyPolish
  • Малайский ложный вампирRussian
  • කන් දිග බොරු ලේ වවුලාSinhala
  • nepravi vampirSlovenian
  • ಇರೆ ಬಾವಲಿTulu
  • ค้างคาวแวมไพร์แปลงเล็กThai
  • Dơi ma NamVietnamese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the lesser false vampire bat

Other species in the same family Megadermatidae.

VU, Vulnerable
Ghost bat (Macroderma gigas)

Ghost bat

Macroderma gigas

Megadermatidae

CompareLesser false vampire bat vs Ghost batLesser false vampire bat vs Heart-nosed batLesser false vampire bat vs Yellow-winged batLesser false vampire bat vs Thongaree's false-vampire

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the lesser false vampire bat?

An adult lesser false vampire bat weighs 25.4 g – 38.6 g, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the lesser false vampire bat endangered?

The lesser false vampire bat is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the lesser false vampire bat live?

The lesser false vampire bat has a recorded lifespan of 14 years.

How long is the lesser false vampire bat pregnant?

The recorded gestation period is 150 days.

What kind of animal is the lesser false vampire bat?

The lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma) belongs to the family Megadermatidae in the order Chiroptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-false-vampire-bat

MLA

“Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-false-vampire-bat.

BibTeX
@misc{lesser_false_vampire_bat_2026,
  title = {Lesser false vampire bat (Megaderma spasma)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/lesser-false-vampire-bat},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}