Midas bulldog bat
| Midas bulldog bat | ||||||||||||
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| Pug midas | ||||||||||||
| ( Sundevall , 1843) |
The Midas bulldog bat ( Pug midas ) is a species of bat from the family of bulldog bats (Molossidae), which is native to Africa. Synonyms are Tadarida midas and Pug unicolor .
description
The Midas bulldog bat is a large bat with a weight of 40–61.5 g, a forearm length of 57–66 mm, and an average total length of 143 mm. The ears are very wide and connected to one another by a thickly hairy membrane over the forehead. The fur is silky, reddish or dark brown, and lighter on the belly than on the back. The hair on the belly has a white tip. The wings are very long and narrow, which makes this species a fast but not very maneuverable flyer. On the underside, a band of white hair runs from the forearm to the thigh. The Midas Bulldog bat is greater than other sympatrically occurring free-tailed bat as T. congica , T. trevori , T. fulminans and T. lobata . In general, this species also has larger feet, longer thumbs and a longer tail. The flight skin and ears are not translucent as in T. lobata . The upper lip has seven wrinkles with short, stiff bristles. The tragus is short while the antitragus is relatively large.
Way of life
The Midas bulldog bat , like most bats, is nocturnal and feeds on insects, although it seems to prefer beetles. The species is found mainly in woodlands and savannahs , mostly near rivers or swamps . During the day, the animals hang in groups of several hundred individuals in attics, abandoned buildings, caves, hollow trees and under bridges. The groups consist of four fifths of females and one fifth of males. Tadarida midas occasionally shares the hanging places with other bats such as the lesser bulldog bat ( Chaerephon pumilus) and the Angola bulldog bat ( Mops condylurus ). The females give birth to a single young each weighing 9.6–10 g per litter.
distribution and habitat
The Midas bulldog bat is found scattered across Africa . Evidence exists for Burkina Faso , Ghana , Togo , Benin , Nigeria , Cameroon , Chad , the Democratic Republic of the Congo , Sudan , Kenya , Uganda , Malawi , Zambia , Zimbabwe , Madagascar , Mozambique , Botswana , Namibia and South Africa . The IUCN estimates the species as harmless thanks to its wide distribution, but the populations are becoming increasingly smaller. The reason for this is that the animals are still being followed and killed locally.
literature
- J. Dunlop (1999): Mops midas. In: Mammalian Species . No. 615, pp. 1-4.
swell
- ^ Theodor CH Cole: Dictionary of Mammal Names - Dictionary of Mammal Names . 1st edition. Springer-Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg 2015, ISBN 978-3-662-46269-0 .
- ↑ Mops midas in the IUCN Red List of Endangered Species .