The short-eared bat is a dark-colored sac-winged bat, similar in appearance to Saccopteryx or Peropteryx, but differentiated by its long, silky fur, low rounded ears, expanded clavicles, grooved tibia, and cranial frontal cup. Forearms range from  long.
The short-eared bat is a dark-colored bat with wing structure similar to Saccopteryx or Peropteryx but it differs in having long, silky fur, small rounded ears, enlarged collarbones, grooved shin bones, and a cranial frontal cup. Its forearms are also notably long.