Mauritius grave bat

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Mauritius grave bat
Mauritian Tomb Bat.jpg

Mauritius grave bat ( Taphozous mauritianus )

Systematics
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Bats (chiroptera)
Family : Smooth-nosed cantails (Emballonuridae)
Subfamily : Taphozoinae
Genre : Grave Bats ( Taphozous )
Type : Mauritius grave bat
Scientific name
Taphozous mauritianus
É. Geoffroy , 1818

The Mauritius grave bat , ( Taphozous mauritianus ), also Mauritianischer grave flutterer , is an African bat belonging to the family of the smooth-nosed free -tailed bat . It belongs to the genus Taphozous (grave bats).

The species is common; the IUCN classifies it as Least Concern due to its wide distribution, tolerance to habitat changes and the presumably large population.

features

This bat has a head-to-trunk length of 7.5 to 9.5 cm and a tail length of 2 to 3 cm. The total length is thus 9.5–12.5 cm. Mauritius grave bats reach a weight of 15 to 30 g. Their fur appears smooth because the hair lies against the body. The fur on the top appears gray, the individual hairs are light brown at the base, gray-brown in the middle and white at the tip. Their underside is white, the flight skin parchment-colored . The wings are long and narrow, the wingspan is 18 to 20.4 cm.

The eyes are quite large with a diameter of 2 to 3 mm, the tips of the short, wide, upright, triangular shaped ears are rounded. The snout is conical. All males have a gland on their throat that could have a sexual function. It is absent in the females in Nigeria and Mozambique, in other distribution areas it is less pronounced in the females. The males are slightly smaller than the females.

distribution and habitat

Distribution area of ​​the Mauritius grave bat

Taphozous mauritianus is throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara spread except the Namib -Wüste in southwest Africa and the adjacent Kalahari . The species can also be found on Madagascar , Réunion and on a few other islands in the Indian Ocean such as the Comoros .

She lives in open habitats, savannah regions and open, tropical forests, e.g. B. Rainforests. However, the Mauritius grave bat avoids the interior of dense forests. This bat can also be found along large rivers, in cocoa plantations, rock faces and near human settlements.

Way of life and social structure

The bat, which belongs to the grave bats, can be recognized by its clicks, its squeaking and other sounds that are barely within the human hearing range . While Taphozous mauritianus relies on vision in daylight, it uses echolocation to orient itself in the dark . The nocturnal animals are very vigilant when they rest on tree trunks or in wall niches during the day. They feed primarily on moths, which they hunt near their sleeping places, as well as termites, butterflies, and a variety of other insects.

This bat lives in groups. Once, in parts of the range up to twice a year, the females give birth to a single young that clings to the mother's belly until it can fly by itself.

literature

  • David Burnie (Ed.): Animals - The large picture encyclopedia with over 2000 species . Dorling Kindersley, 2001.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Theodor CH Cole: Dictionary of Mammal Names - Dictionary of Mammal Names . 1st edition. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2015, ISBN 978-3-662-46269-0 .
  2. ^ Murray Wrobel: Elsevier's Dictionary of Mammals . Elsevier 2006, ISBN 978-0-444-51877-4 .
  3. a b c Taphozous mauritianus in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2010.4. Posted by: AM Hutson, P. Racey, J. Ravino, S. Mickleburgh, W. Bergmans, J. Fahr, 2008. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  4. a b c d e f Francis, C. and C. Yahnke. 2007. Taphozous mauritianus (On-line), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed May 13, 2010 at http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Taphozous_mauritianus.html . (English)
  5. a b c J.D. Skinner, Christian T. Chimimba: The Mammals of the Southern African Subregion. Cambridge University Press, 2005, ISBN 978-0521844185 , p. 274
  6. a b Carol A. Dengis: Taphozous mauritianus. Mammalian Species No. 522. S 1-5. American Society of Mammalogists, 1996. ( Online ; PDF; 662 kB)

Web links

Commons : Mauritius grave bat  - Collection of images, videos and audio files