The larger horseshoe bat ( Rhinolophus ferrumequinum ) is the European bat of the Rhinolophus genus . Its distribution covers Europe, Africa, South Asia and Australia. It is the largest European horseshoe bat and is thus easily distinguishable from other species. The species is settled, usually traveling up to 30 kilometers (19 miles) between winter and summer perch, with the longest recorded movement being 180 km (110 mi). This species is famous for having the oldest recorded age for European bats, with live bats for over 30 years. The frequency used by this bat species for ecolocation lies between 69-83 kHz, has most of the energy at 81 kHz and has an average duration of 37.4 ms.
Video Greater horseshoe bat
Description
The larger horseshoe bats are the largest horseshoe bats in Europe. It has a distinctive noseleaf, which has a pointed top and a horse-shaped bottom. His horseshoe noseleaf helps focus the ultrasound used to 'see'. The larger horseshoe bats also have different teeth and bone structures than other rhinolofids. The first premolar of the maxilla protrudes from the rows of teeth. For other horseshoe bats, this premolar is very small or absent. Also compared to its relatives, the larger horseshoe bats have relatively short third and fourth metacarpal bones in their wings. It also has no tragus. The Greater Horseshoe Bat, on average has a length of between 57-71 millimeters (2.2-2.8 inches), with a tail of 35-43 mm (1.4 to 1.7 inches) and a wing of 350-400 mm (14 -16 inches). The fur of this species is soft and smooth, with a gray-haired base, gray-brown hair and a gray side of the belly, with teenage bats having more gray tones to their fur. The membrane of wings and ears is grayish-brown. It weighs up to 30 grams (1.1 oz).
Maps Greater horseshoe bat
Distribution
The larger horseshoe bats range from North Africa and southern Europe through southwest Asia, the Caucasus, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Himalayas to southeast China, Korea, and Japan. Generally bats live below 800 m asl (above sea level), but also live, depending on availability and longest humidity, 3,000 m asl in Caucasus.
Ecology and behavior
Habitat and roosting
Grasslands, deciduous forests, Mediterranean and sub-mediterranean shrubs and forests are the common feeding habitat for this species. In the northern part of its range, horseshoe use a warm, natural and artificial underground site, during summer perch and attic. Where species occupy buildings, proximity to good feeding areas and underground sites for suspended animation at various times of the year and for winter hibernation as well as the building's own essential features.
Hibernation horseshoe bats on cold underground sites like big caves, during winter. Bats require certain temperature and humidity limits, but these may vary according to age, gender and conditions. The horseshoe bats are active throughout the year in the southern part of their range. The horseshoe bats generally cover a distance of 20-30 km between winter and summer, with the farthest distance recorded 180 km. The horseshoe bats also live in mountain forests between the mountains and the Himalayas valley in South Asia and perched in caves, old temples, old buildings and crumbles in small groups.
Diet and hunt
This species feeds preferentially on lepidopteran (moths), forming about 41% of the diet - especially noctuid species. For example, species prey on lower wax moths by identifying the high-frequency mating calls of moths. Coleopteran (beetle) represents about 33% of the diet, where dung beetles and cockpinkers are often taken. Aphodius rufipes is one of the dung beetles that make up a very important part of its diet. (Beef cattle are part of its life cycle, acting as a food source and habitat for larvae Up to 100 larvae can be found in one cow's beef This beetle is most abundant in August when young bats start their first feeding flight.) The rest of the diet consists of Hymenoptera and Diptera species.
The feeding area of ​​the maternity cage is usually from a 4 km radius, as either lactating or young women can travel long distances. In late August and September bats eat cranefly, to fatten before hibernation. Breeding females rely on beetles from April to June, and moths from June to August.
The larger horseshoe bats leave their laps at dusk. The flight consists of a slow journey and fluttering with a short glide, usually between 0.3 and 6 meters above the ground. Small hunting is done during wet and windy weather. It hunts on the terrain with a bad tree cover like hillsides and cliffs, and in the garden where it puts the insects from the rest area and then cuts them off. This species has the ability to take food off the ground while still in flight, and indeed drinks during low-level flights or when flying. The feeding distance of colonies in England is between 8 and 16 kilometers.
Mate and reproduction
Female bats become sexually mature at the age of three while sexually mature males in two years. Some females may not breed until their fifth year. Most marriages occur in autumn, but some occur in the spring. The reproductive behavior of this species has been studied in detail. During the mating period, females visit males roaming in small caves. The marriage system is best described as polygynous, with some females visiting males. However, genetic evidence has shown that some larger female hooves will visit and mate with the same male partner for years in a row, demonstrating monogamous or spouse fidelity. Surprisingly, related women are also found to share sexual partners, which may serve to increase social association and cohesion in the colony. Men vary in their reproductive success but do not tend to exhibit a reproductive tendency within a year. However, for several years, the slope becomes strong due to the repeated success of certain men.
After mating, the seminal fluid clumps in the female vulva to form a plug, which may work well to prevent future mating by another male, or to increase the likelihood that the sperm is preserved for successful conception. There is some evidence that women can remove these plugs, suggesting that they may be able to exercise some control over the fertilization that occurs. Females raise their children in communal maternity cages, and show strong loyalty to the place where they themselves are born (called philopatry natal). Every season, a female produces a descendant. Most young people are born in June or July. When they are seven days old, young people can open their eyes and in the third or fourth week they can fly. Young people can leave their seventh or seventh week.
Status and preservation
In general, larger horseshoe bats are listed as IUCN's Least Concern because: "This species has a large range.Although there is marked and well documented decline in some areas, this species remains widespread, abundant, and appears to be stable in other areas Regarded as Little Deficiency ". However, the larger horseshoe bat population as a whole decreases. They are largely unorthodox in their range. Nonetheless, they appear to be abundant and widespread in at least parts of southwest Asia and the Caucasus. Also in some northwestern European countries, there appears to be some stabilization and/or recovery. Less is known about bat trends in other parts of Europe. It was extinct in Malta. Fragmentation/habitat isolation, changes in fallow forest management regimes and agricultural areas, loss of pesticide-induced insects, and disruption and loss of underground and attic habitats are a major threat to larger horseshoe bats. Deforestation, largely due to logging operations and land conversion for agriculture and other uses, threatens species in South Asia.
Status in English
This species is rare in the UK, limited to only a small number of sites. Distribution can be found on the National Biodivesitas website here. The breeding grounds include Brockley Hall Stables near Bristol, Iford Manor near Bath, and Littledean Hall in Forest of Dean. Its winter hibernation sites include Banwell Caves and Compton Martin Ocher Mine on Mendip Hill, Chilmark Quarries in Wiltshire, and Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines near Bath. In Dorset, the species is perched on Bryanston, Creech Grange and in Belle Vue Quarry. This species also occurs in Berry Head in Devon and has a site monitored at Woodchester Mansion in Stroud. It happened in Wales, including in Felin Llwyngwair, SSSI.
This species has disappeared from more than half of its previous range in the UK, with about 1% of the population surviving. Like all horseshoe bats, it is sensitive to distractions, and is threatened by the use of insecticides and the removal of beetles by changing agricultural practices.
There are seventeen species of bats recorded in the UK on recent survey results. The larger horseshoe bats are one of the rarest. There are currently 35 recognized bites and year-round and 369 hibernation sites. Current estimates range from 4000 and 6600 individuals. Greater Horseshoes has declined for various reasons ranging from the use of agrichemicals (especially Ivermectin) to habitat loss and redundancy of agricultural methods. Avermectin kills insect larvae and thereby reduces food abundance for Horseshoes, causing them to travel further and face increasing dangers.
The loss of habitat is mainly due to the lack of established hedges and ecotones of deciduous forest meadows. Modern farming methods have seen a reduction in livestock grazing and this has had an impact on Horseshoes who previously discovered that dirt attracts insects and sustained entomogenic populations, giving their prey a stable population.
References
Further reading
- Schober, Wilfried; Eckard Grimmberger (1989). Dr. Robert E. Stebbings, ed. Guide to the Bats of Britain and Europe (1st ed.). UK: Hamlyn Publishing Group. ISBNÃ, 0-600-56424-X. Ã,
External links
- Greater Horseshoe Bat
- Forest Management For Bat Bats
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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