ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

--- CONTENT--
The smaller horseshoe (Rhinolophus hipposideros) is a bat of the Rinolophid family diffused in the Palearctic Ecozone.

Description

Dimensions
It is a small bat, with the length of the head and the body between 38 and 48 mm, the length of the forearm between 35,9 and 42.5 mm, the length of the tail between 22 and 33 mm, the length of the foot between 6.9 and 9 mm, the length of the ears between 12 and 19 mm, a wingspan up to 25,4 cm and a weight up to 9 g.

Appearance
Fur is long, soft and lazy. The dorsal parts vary from brown-grey to brown, while the ventral parts are clearer, greyish or white-grey. The ears are of normal size. The nasal leaf has a triangular hand, with slightly concave edges and pointed end, a low connective process, slightly rounded and sometimes flattened, a saddle without hair, long, narrow, cuneiforms, with the pointed end curved forward and down. The front portion is narrow but covers entirely the muzzle and is equipped with a deep central recess at the base. The lower lip has only one longitudinal groove. The alar membranes are brown or dark brown. The tail is long and included completely in the wide uropatage. The first upper premolar is relatively large and located along the alveolar line.

Ecolo
It emits high-cycle ultrasound with long-acting pulses at a constant frequency of 105–113 kHz and with maximum energy on the second harmonica.

Biology

Behavior

In summer it shelters in numerous colonies within the buildings in the most northern areas of the area, caves and mining tunnels in the most southern ones. In this period it forms nurseries made up of several hundred females and some males. In winter it enters into solitary hibernation in caves, mining tunnels and cellars, with temperatures of 4-12 °C and high relative humidity. It remains clinging to the walls or sometimes with the only feet. The predatory activity begins at sunset. The flight is agile, highly maneuvered and carried out up to 5 meters from the ground. It is a sedentary species, with maximum movements up to 153 km.

Power supply
It feeds on insects, especially dates, lepidoptera, neuroptera and tricoptera caught on the ground or on the branches in the woods, parks, bushes and bushes.

Reproduction
They give birth to a small at a time in the second half of June. The unborn child opens eyes after 10 days of life, is able to fly after a month and is completely independent after another 2 weeks. The couplings occur in autumn and more rarely in winter. Both sexes become mature after 1-2 years of life. The maximum life expectancy is 21 years old.

Distribution and habitat
This species is widespread in the Palearctic Ecozone, from Western Europe, North-West Africa, Near East through the Caucasus and Iran fi