Slit noses

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Slit noses
Nycteris thebaica

Nycteris thebaica

Systematics
Subclass : Higher mammals (Eutheria)
Superordinate : Laurasiatheria
Order : Bats (chiroptera)
Superfamily : Emballonuroidea
Family : Slit noses
Genre : Slit noses
Scientific name of the  family
Nycteridae
Van der Hoeven , 1855
Scientific name of the  genus
Nycteris
Cuvier & E. Geoffroy , 1795

The slit noses (Nycteridae) are a bat family from the superfamily Emballonuroidea. It includes one genus, Nycteris , with 12 to 15 species.

distribution

Slit noses have a two-part distribution area: most species live in sub- Saharan Africa, the Egyptian slit nose ( Nycteris thebaica ) is also found in the north of the continent and on the Arabian Peninsula . Two species are native to Southeast Asia (from the Malay Peninsula to Bali ).

description

The nycteridae take their name from a longitudinal groove on the snout with small nose leaves surrounded and extends up over his eyes. The nostrils sit at the front end of this slot. The ears are large and connected to each other by a small membrane of skin. The long tail ends in a T-shaped tip which, together with the calcar (a thorn on the ankle ), serves to stretch the uropatagium (the flight membrane between the legs). Their fur is usually gray-brown in color. Slit noses reach a head body length of four to nine centimeters, a tail length of four to eight centimeters and a weight of ten to 43 grams.

Way of life

Regarding the habitat, the individual slotted nose species differ from each other, while some representatives like Nycteris aurita prefer dry regions like savannas and semi-deserts, others like Nycteris intermedia live mainly in tropical rainforests and moist grasslands. Hollow trees, dense foliage, caves and crevices, buildings, but also burrows for porcupines or aardvarks serve as sleeping places. Most of the time they sleep alone or in small family groups, but there have been reports of groups of up to 600 animals found in caves of the Egyptian rascal.

food

Slit noses feed mainly on insects and spiders , the larger species also eat scorpions . The great slit nose ( N. grandis ) is known to also eat small vertebrates (fish, frogs, birds and other bats).

Reproduction

Not too much is known about the reproduction of the rascal noses. Reports of the gestation period vary from 2.5 to 6 months, with shorter in tropical regions. This could be related to a delayed growth of the embryo depending on the food resources, as is also known in other bats. Most often a single young is born and suckled for around two months. Some tropical species are known to have offspring several times a year.

threat

The main threat to the razor-noses is the loss of habitat due to conversion into agricultural areas. The IUCN lists the Java rogue nose as endangered ( vulnerable ) and the Malay rag nose in the warning list ( near threatened ). However, exact data are not available for many species.

Systematics and types

There are 12 generally recognized types of slit noses, which can be divided into five groups of species:

Other species that are often only listed as subspecies are N. madagascariensis in Madagascar, N. aurita and N. parisii in eastern Africa and N. vinsoni in Mozambique.

Web links

Commons : Nycteris  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Nycteris evil in the Red List of Threatened Species of the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, AM, Bergmans, W. & driving, J., 2008. Accessed July 6 of 2010.
  2. ↑ Nycteris intermedia in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2010. Posted by: Mickleburgh, S., Hutson, AM, Bergmans, W. & driving, J., 2008. Accessed July 6 of 2010.