Mammals of the WorldMuscat Mouse-tailed Bat
Rhinopoma muscatellum
- Order
- Chiroptera
- Family
- Rhinopomatidae
- Genus
- Rhinopoma
- IUCN status
- LC
- Distribution
- Oman|United Arab Emirates|Iran|Afghanistan|Pakistan|India?
- Realm
- Afrotropic|Palearctic
Other names: Small Mouse-tailed Bat
About this species
- Size
- Body 6–8cm; wingspan 17–25cm
- Diet
- Flying insects, eaten in flight
- Range
- Afghanistan, Iran and Oman; possibly Ethiopia
The small mouse-tailed bat has a wingspan of 17–25 cm, a body length of 6–8 cm and a tail the same length as its body. It is a distinct species from the lesser mouse-tailed bat on mutually exclusive skull features: it has a nearly unridged skull with small teeth and large fluid-filled cavities. Its diet is flying insects, eaten in flight (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is found in Afghanistan, Iran and Oman, and possibly Ethiopia, ranging from the Sistan Basin in Iran into the Helmand River basin of south-western Afghanistan. The cached account does not list India, although the Indian species list includes this species, so its occurrence here should be checked (Wikipedia, general species account).
Description: Wildlife of India guide, Wildlife of Everywhere (wildlifeofeverywhere.com); general species information paraphrased from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)