Desert Long-eared Bat
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| Desert Long-Eared Bat | ||||||||||||||
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| Otonycteris hemprichii Peters, 1859 |
The Desert Long-Eared Bat (Otonycteris hemprichii) is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.
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[edit] Distribution & Range
The single species, O. hemprichi, occurs in the desert zone from Morocco and northern Niger through Egypt and the Arabian peninsula to Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, and Pakistan[1].
[edit] Taxonomy
The systematic position of Otonycteris is unclear, but chromosomal analysis suggests close affinity to Barbastella and Plecotus[2]
[edit] Physiology
Head and body length is about 73-81 mm, tail length is about 47-70 mm, and forearm length is 57-67 mm. Several authorities[3] gave the weight of two adult males as 18 to 20 grams. The large ears, about 40 mm in length, are directed nearly horizontally and are connected across the forehead by a low band of skin. Five female specimens revealed two pairs of pectoral mammae, a unique condition in mammals. It is not known if both pairs are functional.
[edit] Coloration
The coloration above is pale sandy to dark brown; the underparts are usually whitish.
[edit] Comparative Anatomy
The skull and teeth of Otonycteris resemble those of Eptesicus
[edit] Ecology & Behavior
[edit] Habitat
It has been stated that this bat is capable of inhabiting extremely barren and arid regions[4]. In the Negev Desert a pair was found roosting in a rocky crevice on a hill. This bat has also been found in buildings.
[edit] Locomotion
Otonycteris hemprichii reportedly has a slow, floppy flight.
[edit] Behavior
[edit] Diet
Based on an analysis of its body mass, low aspect ratio, and low relative wing loading, it has been predicted[5] that the species will be found to carnivorous in diet. Oservations in Kyrgyzstan indicate that the bat forages close to the ground, uses echolocation to detect large flying or surface-dwelling invertebrates, and feeds mostly on arachnids and orthopterans that are seized directly from the ground[6].
[edit] Courtship & Breeding
Breeding colonies of 3-15 females have been found, and seven pregnant females, most with two embryos, have been collected in central Asia; one was collected on 12 June[7]. Three pregnant females, each with two embryos, were found in a deserted hut in Jordan on 2 May [8]
[edit] Notes
[edit] Sources
- Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. Otonycteris hemprichii. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 09 July 2007.
- Walker's Mammals of the World Sixth Edition pg. 453-454
