The greater horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ferrumequinum ) is an insectivorous bat of the genus Rhinolophus. Its distribution covers Europe, Northern Africa, Central Asia and Eastern Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe and is thus easily distinguished from other species. The species is sedentary, typically travelling up to 30 kilometres (19 mi) between the winter and summer roosts, with the longest recorded movement being 180 km (110 mi). The frequencies used by this bat species for echolocation lie between 69–83 kHz, have most energy at 81 kHz and have an average duration of 37.4 ms.
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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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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PredatorPredators are animals that kill and eat other organisms, their prey. Predators may actively search for or pursue prey or wait for it, often conceal...
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AltricialAltricial animals are those species whose newly hatched or born young are relatively immobile. They lack hair or down, are not able to obtain food ...
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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'...
Gliding flight is heavier-than-air flight without the use of thrust and is employed by gliding animals. Birds in particular use gliding flight to m...
Sedentary animals lead such a type of lifestyle in which little to or no physical activity is done. These are mostly marine bottom-dwelling animals...
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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PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
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Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
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HibernatingHibernation 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 Greater horseshoe bat is an insectivorous bat found in Europe, Northern Africa, and Asia. It is the largest of the horseshoe bats in Europe and is thus easily distinguished from other species. It has a distinctive noseleaf, which has a pointed upper part and a horseshoe-shaped lower part. Its horseshoe noseleaf helps to focus the ultrasound it uses to 'see'. The fur of the Greater horseshoe bat is soft and fluffy, with the base of hairs being light grey, the dorsal side hair grey-brown, and the ventral side grey-white; juvenile bats have more of an ash-grey tint to their fur. Wing membranes and ears are light grey-brown.
Greater horseshoe bats range from North Africa and southern Europe through south-west Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Himalayas to south-eastern China, Korea, and Japan. Preferred foraging habitats include pastures, deciduous temperate woodland, Mediterranean and sub-mediterranean shrubland, and woodlands. In northern parts of their range, Horseshoe bats use warm underground sites, both natural and artificial, as summer roosts as well as attics. They also live in montane forests among the mountains and valleys of the Himalaya in South Asia and roost in caves, old temples, old and ruined buildings in tight clusters.
Greater horseshoe bats are social; they roost in colonies but hunt solitarily. The bat typically leaves its roost at dusk. Its flying is made up of slow, fluttering travel with short glides, normally between 0.3 and 6 meters above the ground. Little hunting is done during wet and windy weather. It hunts in terrain with poor tree cover such as hillsides and cliff faces, and in gardens where it locates insects from a resting place and then intercepts them. It may also pick food up off the ground while still in flight, and indeed drinks during low-level flight or while hovering. Horseshoe bats hibernate in cold underground sites during the winter, however, populations in the southern parts of their range are active throughout the year. Greater horseshoe bats are sedentary and commonly travel distances of 20-30 km between winter and summer roosts, with the longest recorded movement being 180 km (110 mi). They use frequencies for echolocation that lie between 69-83 kHz, have the most energy at 81 kHz, and have an average duration of 37.4 ms.
Great horseshoe bats are carnivores (insectivores). Their diet includes moths, beetles, flies, wasps, bees, and cave spiders.
Greater horseshoe bats are polygynous meaning that males mate with multiple females. However, some females may mate with the same male partner over successive years, indicating monogamy or mate fidelity. Their breeding season takes place in the fall and may also occur in the spring. During the mating period, females visit males that are roosting in small caves. Females raise their young in communal maternity roosts and show strong fidelity to the sites where they themselves were born. Each season, a female gives birth to 1 pup usually in June or July. When they are 7 days old, pups can open their eyes and start to fly at the age of 3 or 4 weeks. The young usually leave the roost when they are 7 or 8 weeks old. Female bats become reproductively mature at the age of 3 years while males reach maturity at 2 years of age. Some females, however, may not breed until their 5th year.
The major threats to the Greater horseshoe bat include fragmentation/isolation of habitats, change of management regime of deciduous forests and agricultural areas, loss of insects caused by pesticides, and disturbance and loss of underground habitats and attics. In South Asia, deforestation is mostly caused by logging operations and the conversion of land for agricultural and other uses.
There is no overall population estimate available for the Greater horseshoe bat. However, there are estimates of its populations in specific areas: in Russian parts of the Caucasus summer colonies include around 30-200 individuals (up to 400 individuals), and winter clusters include up to 500 individuals; in the UK - around 5,000 individuals; in Romania - up to 800 individuals; in Switzerland - around 200 individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List but its numbers today are decreasing.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...