Welwitsch's bat

The Welwitsch bat (Myotis welwitschii ) is a species of bat in the family of Myotis bats ( Vespertilionidae ), which is native to Africa. The species is named after the botanist Friedrich Welwitsch.

Description

The Welwitsch bat is greater than the also occurring in the field mouse ears bocagei Myotis (forearm length about 50 mm) and M. tricolor (forearm length 40 mm) with a forearm length of 52-58 mm. Their total length is 105-127 mm with an average weight of 14.3 g In addition, they can be distinguished from all other species of bat by the red-orange patterns on the otherwise black wings. Although Myotis formosus has a similar drawing, but only comes from Afghanistan to India, China and Japan. The face is pink, coppery ears and big. The tragus is long and lanceolate and extends to about the middle of the ear. The hair on the back are three colored with a black base, a dark brown center part and a rust- brown top. The hair on the abdomen are two-colored with a brown base and a white top, what the belly makes everything appear brighter in all, as the back. The wing membrane of the wings is black with an orange - brown markings along the arms and fingers. The tail wing membrane is also orange - brown and streaked with irregular black spots. The calcar is long and ranges up to two thirds of the tail wing membrane inside.

Way of life

The Welwitsch bat inhabits savannas in Africa and areas with stands of trees. So far, only a few individuals of this species were caught, so relatively little is known about the lifestyle. It is assumed that they are solitary and feed on insects. During the day you will find Welwitsch - bats in buildings, bushes and trees, and in caves. The relatively broad wings Welwitsch the bat is a slow flier.

Distribution and habitat

The Welwitsch bat comes from Ethiopia to South Africa before. In addition there are two single evidence in Guinea. Your stock is classified by the IUCN due to the wide distribution range as safely.