26 June 2025
If you were to wander the limestone caves of Queensland’s Mount Etna Caves National Park by torchlight, you might never know you were being watched. High above, tucked into the dark recesses of the ceiling, hangs one of Australia’s most elusive predators: the ghost bat (Macroderma gigas). These large, pale bats are endemic to Australia and are the only carnivorous bats on this continent. They’re also among the most mysterious. Once known as “false vampire bats”, ghost bats are, sadly, vanishing just like their otherworldly namesakes.
Endangered in Queensland
Once found in small, scattered colonies across northern and eastern Australia, ghost bats are becoming increasingly rare. In Queensland, they are listed as Endangered under the Nature Conservation Act 1992. They’re considered Vulnerable under the Australian Government’s Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act).
Ghost bat populations are now confined to a handful of fragmented populations at several critical sites. The most significant colony was documented in September 2022 at Alwal National Park (CYPAL) on Cape York Peninsula. Thermal imaging recorded some 463 individuals, the largest known ghost bat colony in Queensland.
Other notable sites in Queensland include the Mitchell–Palmer Karst Area on Cape York, approximately 100 km from Alwal, and the Cape Hillsborough region near Mackay. While these areas are recognised for their significance for ghost bat conservation, current population data is lacking, emphasising the need for further research and protective measures.
Mount Etna’s ghost bats face local extinction
In central Queensland, Mount Etna Caves National Park, near Rockhampton, has become a key focus for ghost bat conservation efforts. Once home to a thriving population, recent counts by the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) have revealed a sobering statistic: at last count, only 18 ghost bats remained at Mount Etna. That number, once in the hundreds, now signifies the very brink of extirpation (localised extinction).
The Mount Etna Caves ghost bat colony is incredibly important. It’s not only the last of its kind in central Queensland, but it also marks the southern edge of the species’ range in the state. If this colony disappears, we don’t just lose a few bats; we lose a population that’s hanging on by a thread and we reduce the genetic diversity of the species as a whole.
Silently disappearing
Ghost bats once roosted in caves and rocky outcrops across the Brigalow Belt and into the tropics. But colony after colony has vanished. The reasons are numerous, but are mostly due to habitat loss, isolation and disrupted foraging habits or lack of prey. Female bats also sometimes abandon young if their roost sites are interfered with.
Australia’s largest “microbat” species, ghost bats are extremely sensitive to disturbance. They rely on quiet, dark spaces to roost and raise their young—mostly deep caves with a high ceiling at least 2 m above the cave floor and a microclimate of 23–28ºC. Many such cave homes have been damaged or destroyed by mining, recreational caving, and tourism.
Originally called Fitzroy Caves National Park, Mount Etna’s cave system was gazetted in 1974 after a long conservation battle. It was set aside primarily to conserve these bats after mining for guano and limestone destroyed Crystal Palace cave, Speaking Tube and Elephant Hole caves in the mid-1960s—all important maternity sites for ghost bats. In 1990, the park was renamed Mount Etna Caves National Park, but over subsequent decades, as the number of tourists increased, bat numbers continued to decline from an estimated 450 individuals in the 1960s to fewer than 20 bats today.
“Ghost bats are uniquely vulnerable,” says Matt Cecil, Project Manager at Wildlife Queensland. “They need undisturbed caves to breed, intact habitat to hunt, and enough space to avoid conflict with humans. When those things disappear, so do the bats.”
Add to that habitat fragmentation, barbed-wire fencing, and feral predators, and it becomes clear how difficult it is for a small, isolated population to persist. In 2021, the then Queensland government promised $125,000 over two years to improve on-park management and develop a Recovery Action Plan for Queensland’s ghost bats, but the latest count suggests that hasn’t been enough.
Can we save them?
Yes, but Queensland needs to act swiftly.
Protecting remaining roost sites from disturbance is essential. This involves restricting access to known caves, buffering surrounding foraging areas and managing threats like feral cats and unsuitable fencing. Improved monitoring and population surveys are also crucial to help us understand what remains.
“The Queensland Government must treat this as a conservation emergency,” says Cecil. “We’re watching a species disappear from a region it once thrived in, and despite promises of a recovery plan, no one’s stepping in to stop it. These bats can’t wait.”
What you can do:
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Contact the Senator for Queensland and Federal Minister for the Environment and Water, Murray Watt, your Queensland Minister for the Environment and Tourism and Minister for Science and Innovation, Andrew Powell, and your local MP to voice your concerns about ghost bat declines.
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