Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat

About this species

Diet

Mainly beetles (up to about 50%), also neuropterans and moths

Habitat

Arid or semi-arid desert habitat with roosts and food

Range

North Africa, West Asia and east to the Indian subcontinent

Litter size

1 young, usually born June–July

Gestation

95–100 days

The lesser mouse-tailed bat is a small bat with a long, thin tail like a mouse's. The soft fur is greyish to dark brown, absent on the face, rear abdomen and rump, and paler below. The snout has a small triangular nose-leaf and the large, rhomboid ears have transverse ridges and are joined across the forehead, with well-developed tragi (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is found from North Africa and West Asia east to the Indian subcontinent, typically in arid or semi-arid desert wherever there are roosts and enough food. It is insectivorous, feeding mainly on beetles, neuropterans and moths, many of them pests, at heights of 5–10 m, and its swooping and gliding flight is often mistaken for that of birds. Gestation lasts 95–100 days and one young is born, usually in June–July. Females tend to group, especially lactating mothers (Wikipedia, general species account).

Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)