Rag bats
| Rag bats | ||||||||||||
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Gould's lobed bat ( Chalinolobus gouldii ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Chalinolobus | ||||||||||||
| Peters , 1866 |
The lobed bats ( Chalinolobus ) are a species of bat from the smooth-nosed family (Vespertilionidae). It includes seven species that live in Australia , New Zealand, and western Oceania .
These bats reach a head body length of 42 to 75 millimeters, a tail length of 32 to 60 millimeters and a weight of 4 to 18 grams. Their fur is usually dark brown or black, sometimes with a slight red tinge. A characteristic feature are wart-like protrusions on the corners of the mouth.
The ragged bats sleep in dense foliage, tree hollows, caves or mines, they form groups of 30 to a few hundred animals. These groups are long-lived associations in which females of several generations in particular live together. Males, however, usually only stay briefly in such groups. Like most other bats, they are nocturnal and leave their resting places in the evening to hunt insects. They can often be found near water.
The mating usually takes place at the beginning of winter in July, after which the animals fall into a brief cold rigor (torpor). The male's semen is kept in the female's reproductive tract, and fertilization does not occur until September to October. After a three-month gestation period, one or two young are born between November and February. In warm regions, on the other hand, fertilization takes place immediately, in these areas the young animals are born between September and December.
There are seven types:
- The Gould's lobed bat ( Chalinolobus gouldii ) inhabits all of Australia.
- The New Caledonia lobed bat ( Chalinolobus neocaledonicus ) lives on Norfolk Island and New Caledonia . Due to the destruction of its habitat, the species has become very rare or possibly already extinct.
- The chocolate lobed bat ( Chalinolobus morio ) is native to southern Australia and Tasmania .
- The lesser lobed bat ( Chalinolobus picatus ) lives in the east and southeast of Australia.
- The black-gray lobed bat ( Chalinolobus nigrogriseus ) inhabits New Guinea and northern Australia.
- The long-eared lobed bat ( Chalinolobus dwyeri ) is native to a small area on the east coast of Australia. Due to its small distribution area, the species is considered endangered.
- The New Zealand lobed bat ( Chalinolobus tuberculatus ) is endemic to New Zealand. Besides the New Zealand bats, it is the only species of bat living on this archipelago. It is also considered endangered.
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World . 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
