Sunday, October 23, 2011

Horseshoe Bat

As per Wiki,
Horseshoe bats (Rhinolophidae) are a family of bats. In addition to the single living genus, Rhinolophus, there is one extinct genus, Palaeonycteris. The closely related Hipposideridae are sometimes included within the horseshoe bats as a subfamily, Hipposiderinae. Both families are classified in the suborder Yinpterochiroptera or Pteropodiformes and were previously included in Microchiroptera.
All horseshoe bats have leaf-like, horseshoe-shaped protuberances on their noses. In the related Hipposideridae, these noseleafs are leaf- or spear-like. They emit echolocation calls through these structures, which may serve to focus the sound. Their hind limbs are not well developed, so that they cannot walk on all fours; conversely, their wings are broad, making their flight particularly agile. Most rhinolophids are dull brown or reddish brown in color. They vary in size from 2.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length, and 4 to 120 grams in weight.

The females have a pair of mammary glands and two "false nipples" above and to the side of the genital opening, which newborn bats cling to for a few days after birth.

Horseshoe bats are found in tropical and temperate regions from Europe to Japan and from Asia to Africa. They are usually brown but occasionally are red. They are about 3.5–11 cm (1.4–4.3 inches) long without the 2.5–4.5-cm (1–1.8-inch) tail, and they weigh 5–30 grams (0.17–1 ounce). Horseshoe bats live in groups and roost in damp, dark places such as caves. Species native to temperate regions hibernate in winter.

Ugly Animals - Horseshoe Bat






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