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Charles Zidar
ANCIENT MAYA ZOOLOGICAL RESEARCH |
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| Family: | Phyllostomidae | | Genus: | Desmodus | | Species: | rotundus | | Authority: | E. Geoffroy, 1810 | | Common Name: | Common Vampire Bat | | Maya Name: | Soots' | | Faunal Type: | Mammal/Bat | | Depictions: | Polychrome Ceramics | | Significance: | Copan’s main sign is that of a bat. Bats are represented in one of the Maya months. Painted in the eye of many bats is the akbal (day) symbol, representing night and power (Tozzer and Allen 1910). Many Maya sites have a building called a Bat Palace where Hanahpu (one of the hero twins) lost his head (Tedlock 1985). | | Photos: | Click on an image below for high resolution comparison. |
Other Faunal Photos: Additional views of the faunal species, click on a photo below to view larger image. |  | | Artifact Photo(s) Courtesy of Justin Kerr (FAMSI); Animal Photo(s) Courtesy of Wikipedia GNU General Public License Version 1.2, November 2002; Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.0/2.5 License(s). |
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