Mehely's horseshoe bat

Meheley Horseshoe Bat ( Rhinolophus mehelyi )

The Meheley Horseshoe Bat (also Mehely Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus mehelyi ) is a bat from the family of horseshoe bats. The IUCN classifies the species as "endangered" a ( vulnerable ).

Description

The Mehely Horseshoe Bat is a medium sized bat with a wingspan of about 33-34 centimeters and a weight of about 10 to 18 grams. The horseshoe nose and lips are flesh-colored, pale. The animal has a thick coat that is almost white at the top and gray-brown on the bottom. The border between the two colors is relatively sharp. It is thus similar in size and coloration of the Mediterranean horseshoe bat and the Blasius horseshoe bat. However, the distinguishing feature of this type is a showy gray-brown "spectacles" around the eyes.

Distribution area, habitat and behavior

The Mehely Horseshoe Bat is found only in the Mediterranean region, very far south in Spain, Portugal, southern France, Sicily and the southern Balkans to Turkey.

Their food are moths and other small insects that are probably taken from the ground, since the type can fly up from the ground easily and without effort. She lives in karst areas where water is nearby. The trip starts in early twilight. The type hunts low over the ground on hillsides and between shrubs and trees. They 're slow, agile, very skilled and can also glide short distances.

The Mehely Horseshoe Bat is a cozy cave bat and probably sedentary. The type refers the roost with other horseshoe bats, lesser mouse-eared bats and long wings. The animals are hanging individually free in their cave on the ceiling, where they are only partially wrapped in their wing membranes. Only when the temperature drops in the summer quarters, the animals are hanging close together side by side

By disruption and loss of the caves, the species is now rare and the size of the population decreases rapidly. Obtaining and securing of caves and the reduction of insecticide is necessary to protect the species.