The Egyptian slit-faced bat (Nycteris thebaica ) is a species of slit-faced bat broadly distributed throughout Africa and the Middle East. It is a species of microbat in the family Nycteridae. Six subspecies are known.
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CrepuscularCrepuscular animals are those that are active primarily during twilight (that is, the periods of dawn and dusk). This is distinguished from diurnal...
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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InsectivoresAn insectivore is a carnivorous plant or animal that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which also refers to the human practice of e...
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ArborealArboreal locomotion is the locomotion of animals in trees. In habitats in which trees are present, animals have evolved to move in them. Some anima...
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TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Among animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Torpor is a state of decreased physiological activity in an animal, usually marked by a reduced body temperature and metabolic rate. Torpor enables...
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ColonialColonial animals live in large aggregations composed of two or more conspecific individuals in close association with or connected to, one another....
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
Hibernation is a state of minimal activity and metabolic depression undergone by some animal species. Hibernation is a seasonal heterothermy charac...
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starts withThe Egyptian slit-faced bat gets its name from a deep slit that runs from the base of the ears to the nostrils, between the nose leaves. The bats typically weigh 6.5–9.7 g (0.23–0.34 oz), with females weighing up to 11.5 g (0.41 oz). The wings are broad, with a wingspan of 283 mm (11.1 in) and a low aspect ratio, allowing for high maneuverability and the ability to hover close to the ground.
The dorsal surface is dusky to reddish brown, while the underside is white to whitish gray. This bat has lighter fur than other members of the nycterid family. It has a long tail, reaching to 61 mm (2.4 in).
Unlike most bats, N. thebaica is not heterothermic, displaying no evidence of hibernation or torpor behaviors. One explanation for this might be that hibernation makes N. thebaica highly vulnerable to predation. In particular, the large slit-faced bat is known to prey on roosting Egyptian slit-faced bats.
This species is able to thrive in a variety of tropical and temperate habitats throughout Africa and the Arabian peninsula. A specimen of an Egyptian silt-faced bat was found on the island of Corfu, Greece; making it the first record of the animal in Europe. It can live in widely diverse habitats, including forests, deserts, savannas, shrublands, and grasslands.
Egyptian slit-faced bats form roosting colonies numbering from a few to thousands of other members. Because they can maneuver in crowded habitats, they are able to occupy caves and holes that cannot be accessed by other bat species. While the bats do form a communal roost, individuals do not huddle together to conserve energy and warmth. They occupy two roosts, using the daytime roost to rest, while only spending a few hours in the night roost before going out to forage. They have a long-night foraging period, lasting several hours.
The bats use high-frequency and low-intensity echolocation calls to locate prey. The low wing loading and low aspect ratio allows them to hover and swipe prey from the ground or from the tops of trees. They are generalist-opportunistic feeders, meaning they consume a wide range of prey, according to prey availability and season. The different insect groups these bats tend to consume are: Coleoptera during the spring, Orthoptera during the summer, Hemiptera in autumn, and Lepidoptera during the winter. Insects comprise the bulk o this bat's diet; this flexible diet allows them to thrive in a wide variety of habitats.
N. thebaica is observed to have a relatively long lifespan, with captive females surviving at least five years. While juvenile bats have a high mortality rate, after the first year, the species has a high rate of survival.
The uterine horns open into the vagina through separate vaginal canals, forming a uterus duplex. The placenta also lacks a hemophagous area, a structure which aids in endocytosis and digestion of erythrocytes. The gestation period varies depending on climate, lasting 2–3 months in tropical areas, while lasting up to 5 months in temperate climates. At birth, this species weighs about 50% of the mother’s weight. The females fly, carrying their young, between roosts to keep them safe from predators.