The Ziama horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus ziama ) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It was first described in 2002. It is found in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. In 2013, Bat Conservation International listed this species as one of the 35 species of its worldwide priority list of conservation. It is threatened by habitat loss.
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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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starts withThe Ziama horseshoe bat can be distinguished from the Maclaud's horseshoe bat because it is significantly smaller in body size. While it is smaller than Maclaud's horseshoe bat, it is still one of the largest horseshoe bats in Africa. They weigh between 20–24 g (0.71–0.85 oz) as adults. Their forearms are 58–60 mm (2.3–2.4 in). Their ears are 35–37 mm (1.4–1.5 in) long, pointed at the tips, and have 11-12 inner folds. Their noseleafs are 11.5 mm (0.45 in) wide, almost covering their snouts. Their pelage is soft and woolly in texture, with dorsal hairs paler at the base and darker at the tip; ventral hairs are uniformly buffy
As of 2002, only four specimens had ever been encountered; all were captured via mist-netting in 1990 and 1992. Three were encountered in the Ziama Massif of Guinea, while the other was captured in Wonegizi Nature Conservation Unit in Liberia. Based on the two known locations of occurrence at the time, the species range was feared to be as small as 32 km2 (12 sq mi) There are concerns that its habitat in Liberia could have been damaged by the Second Liberian Civil War.In 2006, a fifth specimen was captured in Sierra Leone, extending the range of occurrence by 450 km (280 mi). It is one of five species of microbat in Africa listed as endangered by the IUCN.
