Geographic Range
Lesser mouse-tailed bats (
Rhinopoma hardwickii
) range from as far east as Thailand westward through Burma, India, Pakistan, and
Iran. They can also be found in the African Sahara mostly north of 15°N, but have
been known to occupy as far south as Kenya.
Habitat
Lesser mouse-tailed bats inhabit deserts and semi-deserts where roosts and food are
available. Within these climates they are generally found in grasslands and oases
(Benda, Aulagnier, and Palmeirim, 2010), but can occasionally be found in gardens
and orchards (Benda et al., 2004).
Their roosts consist of dry caves, houses, pyramids, underground tunnels, and wells.
In summer months, they roost in small crevices, fissures, or between boulders (Benda,
Aulagnier, and Palmeirim, 2010).
- Habitat Regions
- tropical
- terrestrial
- Terrestrial Biomes
- desert or dune
- savanna or grassland
- Other Habitat Features
- agricultural
- caves
Physical Description
Lesser mouse-tailed bats get their common name from their slender, long, free tail.
The total body length ranges from 119 to 141 mm and the tail makes up approximately
57 to 70 mm of that. The hindfoot, ear, and forearm length measure 12 to 15 mm, 18
to 21 mm, and 52.4 to 60 mm respectively.
The skull of lesser mouse-tailed bats are short with 28 teeth and a dental formula
of 1/2, 1/1, 1/2, 3/3. The skull is widest at the squamosal region of the zygomatic
arch. Other distinguishing features of the skull include the loose tympanic bone and
an inflated lacrimal region.
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are small, with tails generally longer than their forearms.
Their backs are greyish brown to dark brown in color with pale undersides. The snouts
have a small triangular noseleaf and their tragi are well developed. They have large
rhomboidal pinna that are connected across the forehead and there are 10 transverse
ridges that cross the ear. The uropatagium of lesser mouse-tailed bats are small and
only enclose less than one quarter of the tail.
- Other Physical Features
- endothermic
- bilateral symmetry
- Sexual Dimorphism
- sexes alike
Reproduction
Little is known of the mating systems of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
Although little is known about lesser mouse-tailed bat reproductive biology, they
have a defined annual reproductive cycle. Insemination occurs between February and
April, although ovulation does not occur until mid-March. Gestation lasts about 95
to 100 days and young are born between the second week of June and the end of July.
Lactation lasts up to 20 days, during which time lactating females are segregated
from the group.
Male lesser mouse-tailed bats take much longer than females to reach sexual maturity.
Females become sexually mature between 8.5 to 9 months of age, whereas males do not
become sexually mature until 16 to 17 months.
- Key Reproductive Features
- iteroparous
- seasonal breeding
- gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
- sexual
- viviparous
- delayed fertilization
Little is known about the parental investment of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
- Parental Investment
- altricial
-
pre-hatching/birth
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
-
pre-weaning/fledging
-
provisioning
- female
-
protecting
- female
-
provisioning
Lifespan/Longevity
Little is known of the lifespan and longevity of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
Behavior
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are active year round and use stored abdominal fats during
the winter (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002). Lesser mouse-tailed bats are adapted
to withstand extremely hot, arid conditions as well as low humidity (Davis, 2007).
Lesser mouse-tailed bats have been found roosting in small groups ranging from 4 to
10 individuals (Davis, 2007) to large colonies composed of up to 500 individuals (Benda,
Aulagnier, and Palmeirim, 2010). Sexual segregation may occur and is generally directed
towards lactating females (Karim and Fazil, 1987).
Lesser mouse-tailed bat flight patterns consist of alternating flutters and glides.
This gives the appearance that they are rising and falling, so that from a distance,
they may be mistaken for a small bird (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002).
Home Range
Little is known about the ranging behavior of lesser mouse-tailed bats.
Communication and Perception
Lesser mouse-tailed bats are considered to be "acoustically primitive" because they
use signals with four or more harmonics and with little frequency variation (Whitaker
Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002). They emit long constant frequency (CF) calls at 30 to 34
kHz with a peak energy at 32 kHz (Davis, 2007). They emit these CF sounds when flying
in open spaces for approximately 48 ms. When they fly in groups, lesser mouse-tailed
bats emit CFs in three bands. However, when they fly solo the bat emits CFs in only
one band. Frequency modulated (FM) sounds are produced only as they leave their roost
or shortly before landing (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov, 2002).
- Communication Channels
- acoustic
- Perception Channels
- tactile
- echolocation
- chemical
Food Habits
Lesser mouse-tailed bars are insectivorous bats with
beetles
making up about 50% of their diet. They also feed on
moths
and
neuropterans
, but their overall diet is much less diverse than other bats (Whitaker Jr. and Yom-Tov,
2002). Lesser mouse-tailed bats swoop and glide at 5 to 10 meters off the ground when
in search of food (Davis, 2007).
- Primary Diet
- carnivore
- Animal Foods
- insects
Predation
Barn owls are the only known predator of lesser moused-tailed bats.
- Anti-predator Adaptations
- cryptic
Ecosystem Roles
Little is known of the ecosystem roles that lesser mouse-tailed bats play.
Economic Importance for Humans: Positive
There are no known positive effects of lesser mouse-tailed bats on humans. However, since they are insectivores, they may help control the population of insect pests.
Economic Importance for Humans: Negative
There are no known negative impacts of lesser mouse-tailed bats on humans.
Conservation Status
Populations of
Rhinopoma hardwickii
are common and widespread with no major threats of decline. In 1996 it was categorized
as vulnerable, but was changed to least concern in 2004, and has sustained the same
categorization ever since.
Additional Links
Contributors
Tara Whiting (author), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Christopher Yahnke (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Alecia Stewart-Malone (editor), University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, Laura Podzikowski (editor), Special Projects.
- Palearctic
-
living in the northern part of the Old World. In otherwords, Europe and Asia and northern Africa.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- 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.
- Ethiopian
-
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
- native range
-
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
- 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.
- desert or dunes
-
in deserts low (less than 30 cm per year) and unpredictable rainfall results in landscapes dominated by plants and animals adapted to aridity. Vegetation is typically sparse, though spectacular blooms may occur following rain. Deserts can be cold or warm and daily temperates typically fluctuate. In dune areas vegetation is also sparse and conditions are dry. This is because sand does not hold water well so little is available to plants. In dunes near seas and oceans this is compounded by the influence of salt in the air and soil. Salt limits the ability of plants to take up water through their roots.
- tropical savanna and grassland
-
A terrestrial biome. Savannas are grasslands with scattered individual trees that do not form a closed canopy. Extensive savannas are found in parts of subtropical and tropical Africa and South America, and in Australia.
- savanna
-
A grassland with scattered trees or scattered clumps of trees, a type of community intermediate between grassland and forest. See also Tropical savanna and grassland biome.
- temperate grassland
-
A terrestrial biome found in temperate latitudes (>23.5° N or S latitude). Vegetation is made up mostly of grasses, the height and species diversity of which depend largely on the amount of moisture available. Fire and grazing are important in the long-term maintenance of grasslands.
- agricultural
-
living in landscapes dominated by human agriculture.
- 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.
- delayed fertilization
-
a substantial delay (longer than the minimum time required for sperm to travel to the egg) takes place between copulation and fertilization, used to describe female sperm storage.
- altricial
-
young are born in a relatively underdeveloped state; they are unable to feed or care for themselves or locomote independently for a period of time after birth/hatching. In birds, naked and helpless after hatching.
- 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.
- colonial
-
used loosely to describe any group of organisms living together or in close proximity to each other - for example nesting shorebirds that live in large colonies. More specifically refers to a group of organisms in which members act as specialized subunits (a continuous, modular society) - as in clonal organisms.
- acoustic
-
uses sound to communicate
- tactile
-
uses touch 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.
- carnivore
-
an animal that mainly eats meat
- insectivore
-
An animal that eats mainly insects or spiders.
- 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.
References
Benda, P., S. Aulagnier, J. Palmeirim. 2010. "Rhinopoma hardwickii" (On-line). IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed August 12, 2011 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/apps/redlist/details/19599/0 .
Benda, P., V. Hanák, M. Andreas, A. Reiter, M. Uhrin. 2004. Two new species of bats (Chiroptera) for the fauna of Libya: Rhinopoma hardwickii and Pipistrellus rueppellii. MYOTIS , 41-42: 109-124. Accessed August 12, 2011 at http://www.nm.cz/download/pm/zoo/benda_lit/Benda2004myotis.pdf .
Benda, P., M. Ruedi, S. Aulagnier. 2004. New data on the distribution of bats (Chiroptera) in Morocco. Vespertilio , 8: 13–44. Accessed August 12, 2011 at http://www.nm.cz/download/pm/zoo/benda_lit/Benda2004vesp_a.pdf .
Davis, L. 2007. "An Introduction to the Bats of United Arab Emirates" (On-line pdf). Accessed August 12, 2011 at http://www.echoesecology.co.uk/documents/BatsoftheUAE_000.pdf .
Karim, K., M. Fazil. 1987. Early embryonic development and preimplantation changes in the uterus of the bat Rhinopoma hardwickei hardwickei (Gray) (Rhinopomatidae). American Journal of Anatomy , 178: 341–351.
Karim, K., S. Banerjee. 1989. Reproduction in the Indian mouse-tailed bat, Rhinopoma hardwickei hardwickei (Chiroptera, Rhinopomatidae). Reproduction, Fertility and Development , 1: 255–264.
Qumsiyeh, M., J. Knox Jones Jr. 1986. Rhinopoma hardwickii and Rhinopoma muscatellum. Mammalian Species , 263: 1-5. Accessed August 12, 2011 at http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-263-01-0001.pdf .
Whitaker Jr., J., Y. Yom-Tov. 2002. The Diet of Some Insectivorous Bats from Northern Isreal. Mammalian Biology , 67: 378-380. Accessed August 12, 2011 at http://www.tau.ac.il/lifesci/zoology/members/yom-tov/articles/The_diet.pdf .