Ghost bats have been discovered at Bullo River Station in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory, the Australian Wildlife Conservancy has said.

AWC regional ecologist Dr Rebecca Diete said the ghost bat is Australia’s only carnivorous bat species, preying on bats, lizards and mice, and was first spotted by Bullo River staff member Emanuele Lai, who was exploring gorges in the station’s special management zone, which encompasses a large part of the property where the AWC works in partnership with the station owners.

“Ghost bats are one of our most fascinating bat species, being Australia’s only member of the ‘false vampire bat’ family, so we were keen to confirm their presence at Bullo River Station,” Dr Diete said.

“We know relatively little about where the bats occur across this part of the country, so every new record helps us build a clearer picture of their distribution and the habitats they rely on.

“At present, there are only 14 officially documented maternal roosts in existence. My guess is that they do roost on Bullo River, inside one of the caves large enough to accommodate their 60-centimetre wingspan.

“The partnership with Bullo River enables us to access a vast and biologically diverse landscape that would otherwise be difficult to survey, helping us build a better understanding of the species that occur here and their occupancy within their known distribution.”

“If we’re able to find a maternal breeding roost, it will make Bullo River a significant property for the conservation of the species.”

Dr Diete said the species has disappeared from central and southern Australia and has experienced significant population decline in the north due to habitat loss, degradation and disturbance of its roosting sites, and is nationally classified as vulnerable and recognised as near threatened in the NT.

Dr Nicola Hanrahan said that, with Dr Laura Ruykys, she developed acoustic lures, a new method for detecting ghost bats, as part of a collaboration between the Northern Territory Government and Charles Darwin University.

“The recorded sound of squabbling ghost bats worked a treat, with multiple bats recorded fluttering and swooping around the speaker,” Dr Hanrahan said.

“This detection of ghost bats at Bullo River is significant, as the site sits within a region with few prior records between the Kimberley and the Top End, offering valuable insight into current distribution patterns and potential gene flow pathways between these regions.”

Dr Diete said researchers had also found two reptiles not previously known to occur on the property: the Top End mulch skink and black-tailed bar-lipped skink. Both species were found inside pitfall traps.