Smaller horseshoe bat
The smaller horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus megaphyllus ) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Australia and Papua New Guinea.
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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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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'...
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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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PolygamyPolygamy is the practice of breeding with multiple partners. When a male breeds with more than one female at the same time – it is called polygyny....
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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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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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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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starts withRhinolophus megaphyllus is a small rhinolophid bat that has a combined head and body length of 44–53 millimetres, with a measurement of the forearm an approximately equal length at 44–52 mm. The mass is in a range of 7 to 13 grams. They have simple and large ears, measuring 12–21 millimetres from the base to a finely pointed tip. The eyes are tiny and the snout is adorned with a distinctively shaped nose-leaf. The fur colour is darker above, usually a shade of grey brown that is paler at the ventral side; the species is recorded in Queensland with rufous to orange coloration across the pelage.
A species of Rhinolophus, a genus characterised by the horseshoe shape of the fleshy nose-leaf structure used for echolocation. R. megaphyllus is readily distinguished by their pink nose-leaf, with ridging at the upper facing parts that align to a triangular point. Another structure emerges at the mid-point of the leaf, above the horseshoe-like protuberance at the lower part. The overall pinkish shade of the nose-leaf is edged with grey and the form is relatively simple. Although suspected to the be two different taxa, the nose-leaf and other exterior characteristics are indistinguishable between the north and southern forms.
Another species of the genus occurs at the east of the Cape York peninsula, the large-eared horseshoe bat Rhinolophus philippinensis has an ear length greater than 25 millimetres, a larger wingspan with forearm measurement greater than 50 mm, and a nose-leaf that is more elaborate in form. The ultrasonic signals emitted by the species are easily distinguishable from other bats in the southern part of the range, but geographic variation has not been determined; acoustic surveys in New Guinea are unable to distinguish the species from the similar call of Rhinolophus arcuatus.
The distribution range of Rhinolophus megaphyllus, in taxonomic revisions separating other populations, has come to be regarded as geographically isolated to the eastern parts of Australia and New Guinea. They are found at altitudes up to 1600 metres asl.The species is common in suitable habitat in Eastern Australia, from the tropical regions of Cape York peninsula along the east coast and inland to the Great Dividing Range as far south as the more temperate climate of Victoria.
The range of R. megaphyllus extended westward in Victoria during the twentieth century, aided by colonisation of abandoned mine adits, and local populations are dependent on the availability of suitable daytime refuge and maternity roosts. Caves and similar sites that provide adequate warmth and high humidity are preferred and may be inhabited by groups numbering up to two thousand, however, the colony size is more often between five and fifty bats. Separate maternity sites are occupied for the birth and rearing of young, beginning in September or October and departing to rejoin males for mating in March or April.
They have a fluttery motion in flight as the wing shape allows them to make slow and agile manoeuvres while foraging within the forest. Insects are gleaned close to surfaces at all levels of the forest canopy, their insect prey is most often caught while in flight.The foraging behaviour is consistent across the Australian range, with waiting at a perch or gleaning insects not in flight being infrequently recorded. The diet is highly variable and selective, mostly consisting of Lepidoptera and Coeloptera species, but not consistent with seasonal targeting of taxa at any given location.
Rather than clinging to walls while at their roost, R. megaphyllus hang from the ceiling of caves. The individuals roost apart from their neighbours and may cloak their body with the wings.
The IUCN Red List has assessed the conservation status of R. megaphyllus as least concern, as occurring in protected areas and occupying abandoned mine shafts, and lack of evidence in any significant decline; the trajectory of the population is however unknown.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...