Geographic Range
Philippine forest horseshoe bats (
Rhinolophus inops
) inhabit all of the Philippines except the Palawan Region. The range of Philippine
forest horseshoe bats includes a wide variety of elevations and some protected areas.
- Other Geographic Terms
- island endemic
Habitat
Philippine forest horseshoe bats commonly inhabit primary lowland forests and mountainous
forests. These bats are rarely seen in secondary forests. It is found from sea-level
to 2250 m in elevation.
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
Physical Description
Philippine forest horseshoe bats are completely brown in color; the dorsal fur has
rust colored tints and the ventral fur is paler. With a mass of 11 to 18 g, this bat
is intermediate in size between related species the
arcuate horseshoe bat
and
small rufous horseshoe bat
. A medium sized Philippine forest horseshoe bat has a body length of 76 to 93 mm
and a forearm length of 49 to 57 mm. As is true of all members of the family Rhinolophidae,
these bats have a horseshoe shaped nasal leaf expansion that surrounds the nostrils.
The horseshoe structure is composed of three parts. A lower piece covers the upper-lip
and surrounds the nostrils. Above the nostrils is a lancet shaped appendage that protrudes
outward. The final piece is known as the sella; it is located between the horseshoe
and the lancet. The sella is flattened in the opposite direction to the lancet and
the horseshoe (front to back). The nasal leaf is the same width as the muzzle. Rhinolophid
ears are rather large (22 to 28 mm) and always lack a tragus. The eyes seem to be
obstructed by the nasal leaves and are quite small. In Philippine forest horseshoe
bats, the first toe contains 2 bones, while the others contain 3.
Male and female rhinolophid bats are similar in appearance except that females have
two teat like appendages that are not involved in mammary function. These “dummy teats”
are found in the abdominal region along with two functional teats. Infant bats use
these to hold on to their mother as she flies.
The wings of rhinolophid bats are broad and have round ends. While roosting these
bats wrap their wings around the body and have been compared to insect cocoons or
dried fruit.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- homoiothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
The mating system for Philippine forest horseshoe bats is unknown. Likewise, little
is known about the mating systems of groups within
Rhinolophidae
. Some species appear to form small family groups, while some form colony structures.
No behavioral data are available for Philippine forest horseshoe bats. In other
horseshoe bats
mating occurs either in autumn, with fertilization delayed until spring. Also for
some mating occurs in early spring, with fertilization occurring right away. Since
Philippine forest horseshoe bats live in a tropical region, it probably does not hibernate,
and therefore could mate at either time. Philippine forest horseshoe bats give birth
to a single young each season.
Horseshoe bat
typically have a 7 week gestation period followed by 1 to 2 months of lactation.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
No information is available on parental investment in Philippine forest horseshoe
bats. However, while female
horseshoe bats
must carry and nurse their young, males have not been observed providing any parental
care.
- Parental Investment
- female parental care
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Little is known about the longevity of Philippine forest horseshoe bats. However,
Horseshoe bats
rarely live longer than 6-7 years, however longer lifespans have been exhibited.
Behavior
Little is known about the behavior of Philippine forest horseshoe bats. However,
horseshoe bats
roost mostly during the day in groups, which can vary in size from a few to a few
thousand. Species in this genus can live in mixed sex groups, however some segregate
creating maternal groups. Rhinolophid bats fly with a fluttering pattern and generally
stay close to the ground. In order to eat, these bats frequently land on the ground.
Home Range
Philippine forest horseshoe bats roost in caves, hollow trees and foliage. These bats
generally maintain a regular hunting area as well.
Communication and Perception
Horseshoe bats use echolocation calls that are projected from their nasal passages
to navigate and locate prey, flying with their mouth closed as the sound is emitted
from their nasal passages. The leaf structure may aid in sound modification.
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
- Perception Channels
- tactile
- acoustic
- echolocation
- chemical
Food Habits
Horseshoe bats
hunt insects and spiders at night, using echolocation to locate their prey. These
bats hunt within 6 m of the ground in a regular territory. The actual consumption
of prey occurs either on the ground or at the roost sight.
- Primary Diet
- carnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
- terrestrial non-insect arthropods
Predation
Predators of Philippine forest horseshoe bats are not known, however the geographic
range overlaps with 3 carnivores large enough to consume them. These include
common palm civets
,
Malay civits
, and
leopard cats
.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
There are no documented ecosystem roles of Philippine forest horseshoe bats. However, they probably aid in the control and regulation of insect populations in the Philippines in light of their diet.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
Humans in the Philippines use bats as a source of food. Also insectivorous bats like
the Philippine forest horseshoe bats aid in controlling the insect populations, which
can be a nuisance for humans and animals (agriculture and wild).
- Positive Impacts
- food
- controls pest population
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
No economical concerns have been reported resulting from Philippine forest horseshoe
bats.
Conservation Status
Deforestation has affected the lowland populations of this species, but has not created
a large threat due to the amount of remaining forest at higher elevations.
Additional Links
Contributors
Kelsey Keller (author), Michigan State University, Barbara Lundrigan (editor), Michigan State University, Laura Podzikowski (editor), Special Projects.
- oriental
-
found in the oriental region of the world. In other words, India and southeast Asia.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- island endemic
-
animals that live only on an island or set of islands.
- tropical
-
the region of the earth that surrounds the equator, from 23.5 degrees north to 23.5 degrees south.
- terrestrial
-
Living on the ground.
- forest
-
forest biomes are dominated by trees, otherwise forest biomes can vary widely in amount of precipitation and seasonality.
- mountains
-
This terrestrial biome includes summits of high mountains, either without vegetation or covered by low, tundra-like vegetation.
- endothermic
-
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
- bilateral symmetry
-
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
- iteroparous
-
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
- seasonal breeding
-
breeding is confined to a particular season
- sexual
-
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
- viviparous
-
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
- female parental care
-
parental care is carried out by females
- nocturnal
-
active during the night
- motile
-
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
- social
-
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch to communicate
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- echolocation
-
The process by which an animal locates itself with respect to other animals and objects by emitting sound waves and sensing the pattern of the reflected sound waves.
- chemical
-
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
- cryptic
-
having markings, coloration, shapes, or other features that cause an animal to be camouflaged in its natural environment; being difficult to see or otherwise detect.
- food
-
A substance that provides both nutrients and energy to a living thing.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
References
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Heaney, L. 2006. The mammals and Birds of Camiguin Island, Philippines, a Distinct Center of Biodiversity. Fieldiana, Zoology , 1537: 37-38.
Hollister, N. 1913. A review of Philippine land mammals in the United States National Museum . Washington Discrtic of Columbia: Washington Government Printing office.
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Neuweiler, G. 2000. The Biology of Bats . New York, New York: Oxford University Press, Inc..
Nowak, R. 1994. Walker's Bats of the World . Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Nowak, R. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World Sixth Edition . Baltimore, Maryland: The Johns Hopkins University Press.
Ong, P., G. Rosell-Ambal, B. Tabaranza, L. Heaney, J. Sedlock, P. Alviola, E. Alcala, L. Pangunlatan, D. Balete. 2012. "Rhinolophus inops" (On-line). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed March 12, 2012 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/19545/0 .
Wilson, D., D. Reeder. 2005. "Rhinolophus inops" (On-line). Wilson and Reeder's Mammal Species of the World Third Edition. Accessed March 12, 2012 at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/browse.asp?s=y&id=13800563 .
Wimsatt, W. 1970. Biology of Bats . New York, New York: Academic Press, Inc..
Wund, M., P. Myers. 2009. "Rhinolophidae" (On-line). Animal Diversity Webpage. Accessed October 12, 2012 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Rhinolophidae/ .