- Scientific Name
- Rhinopoma Rhinopoma microphyllum
- Family
- Hipposideridae
- Global Conservation Status (IUCN)
- Least Concern
- Region
- Africa
- Diet
- Insectivore
Data Sheet
Diet: Insectivore
Diet analysis from the Middle East portion of their range suggests a strong preference for beetles, but also includes ants, moths, crickets, and locusts.
Fun Fact: Most bats prefer a cool climate for hibernation (between 30 ℉ and 45 ℉) but not the greater mouse-tailed bat. These bats have been recorded hibernating in the geothermally heated caves of the Great Rift Valley, where cave temperatures were a balmy 68 ℉.
Appearance: Greater mouse-tailed bats are the largest of the mouse-tailed bats, weighing up to 40 grams. Missing a tail membrane, the mouse-tailed bats are named for their long, free tail which is generally just shorter than their forearm. They range in color from a dull grey to a tawny or reddish brown.
Habitat: A desert-dwelling bat, greater mouse-tailed bats roost in a variety of places, including caves, ruins, temples, tunnels and old houses. Their geographic distribution ranges from northern Africa through southwest Asia into Afghanistan, Pakistan and India. Greater mouse-tailed bats display important adaptations for living in dry, hot environments including valved nostrils and highly concentrated urine to prevent unnecessary water loss. Individuals will migrate seasonally to hibernacula, where they accumulate in large colonies (ranging from several thousand up to 20,000 individuals).
Conservation Concerns: Populations of the greater mouse-eared bat are currently considered stable and the IUCN classifies this bat as Least Concern. Human disturbance at roost sites and use of pesticides to control insects pests such as locusts may affect this species, but are not currently considered a major threat.
Establishing Priority Bat Conservation Initiatives in India
The goal of this work is to identify and establish long-term bat conservation initiatives in India that stabilize and recover rapidly decreasing populations.
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Additional Resources
Literature Cited:
Eran Levin, Brit Plotnik, Eran Amichai, Luzie J. Braulke, Shmulik Landau, Yoram Yom-Tov, Noga Kronfeld-Schor; Subtropical mouse-tailed bats use geothermally heated caves for winter hibernation. Proc Biol Sci 1 April 2015; 282 (1804): 20142781.
Monadjem, A., Palmeirim, J.M. & Aulagnier, S. 2017. Rhinopoma microphyllum. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T19600A21998943
Sharifi, M., & Hemmati, Z. (2002). Variation in the diet of the Greater Mouse-tailed Bat, Rhinopoma microphyllum (Chiroptera: Rhinopomatidae) in south-western Iran. Zoology in the Middle East, 26(1), 65–70.
