Maclaud's horseshoe bat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Maclaud's horseshoe bat |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Rhinolophus
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| Species: |
maclaudi
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| Maclaud's horseshoe bat range | |
The Maclaud's horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus maclaudi) is a special kind of bat. It belongs to the Rhinolophidae family. This bat only lives in the country of Guinea in West Africa. Its natural homes are wet savanna areas, caves, and other underground places.
This bat is one of five African microbat species that are considered endangered. This means they are at high risk of disappearing forever. In 2013, a group called Bat Conservation International put this bat on its list of 35 top priority species to protect worldwide. The biggest threat to these bats is when their homes are destroyed, which is called habitat loss.
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What Does the Maclaud's Horseshoe Bat Look Like?
These bats have a light chestnut, or reddish-brown, color. They have a unique noseleaf, which is a special skin flap on their nose. This noseleaf has a part called a "sella" that points forward. It also has heart-shaped parts at the bottom that almost cover their nostrils.
There is a deep dip between the sella and another part called the "lancet." Their skulls look thin but have strong snouts. The space between certain bones in their skull is unusually deep. Their forearms, which are like their arms, are about 64–69 mm (2.5–2.7 in) long. Their ears are quite large, measuring 40–46 mm (1.6–1.8 in) long. Each ear has 10 to 12 folds inside. Their noseleafs are about 15–16 mm (0.59–0.63 in) wide.
Male and female Maclaud's horseshoe bats are about the same size. Adult bats usually weigh between 30–33 g (1.1–1.2 oz). This is about the same weight as a few regular pencils.
How We Discovered This Bat
For a long time, until 2007, scientists only knew about this bat from nine examples. These examples, called specimens, were found in just four different places. The very first one was collected way back in 1896. The other eight were found between 1954 and 1968.
Then, for 40 years, no one saw this bat! It was finally photographed for the first time in 2007. In that same year, scientists were excited to find 16 more of these bats. They found them living in several caves in the Guinea Highlands. This discovery helped scientists learn more about where these rare bats live.
Where Do These Bats Live?
The Maclaud's horseshoe bat has only been found in Guinea, a country in West Africa. Their known living area is about 360 km2 (139 sq mi) wide. Most of the bats found so far have been in a region called the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic. This area has a mix of forests and grasslands.
However, the very first bat ever found was on Conakry Island. This island is in the flat coastal plains. The 16 bats found in 2007 suggested that their home range might be bigger than first thought. But they still only live in Guinea. Recently, more bats have been found in the Fouta Djallon Plateau. This new discovery means their known home area has grown by about 215 km (134 mi) to the north.
What Do These Bats Do?
During the day, Maclaud's horseshoe bats like to sleep (or roost) in caves. Sometimes, one bat was even found sleeping inside a house! They can roost alone or in small groups. These groups, called colonies, usually have up to six bats.
They often share their cave homes with other types of bats. Some of their cave neighbors include Angolan rousette bats and Large-eared slit-faced bats. Other bats they live with are Guinean horseshoe bats, Rüppell's horseshoe bats, and Dent's horseshoe bat. They also share space with Jones's roundleaf bats and Noack's roundleaf bats.
The R. maclaudi Bat Group
The group of bats called Rhinolophus is very large, with many different species. To make it easier to study, scientists divide them into smaller groups. The Maclaud's horseshoe bat is so special that it gives its name to one of these groups. This group is called the maclaudi group.
Right now, this group has six different species. Three of these species were only discovered after 2003! Bats in this group usually have large ears. They also have a less strong connection between the "sella" and "lancet" parts of their noseleaf.
Here are the bats in the maclaudi group:
- Rhinolophus maclaudi (Maclaud's horseshoe bat)
- Rhinolophus willardi—found in 2013
- Ruwenzori horseshoe bat— R. ruwenzorii
- Hill's horseshoe bat—R. hilli
- Rhinolophus kahuzi—found in 2013
- Ziama horseshoe bat—R. ziama
The R. maclaudi and R. ziama bats live in West Africa. The other four species live further east, near the Albertine Rift. The West African bats are generally bigger than the East African ones. The Maclaud's horseshoe bat is actually the largest bat in its entire group!
Because these bats look very similar, scientists once thought that R. hilli and R. ruwenzorii were the same kind of bat. They even thought they might be a smaller type (subspecies) of the Maclaud's horseshoe bat.
Protecting the Maclaud's Horseshoe Bat
The Maclaud's horseshoe bat faces a serious threat from being hunted for bushmeat. People in Guinea sometimes eat these bats, which puts their survival at great risk. While the bat meat is not sent out of the country, it is likely traded and eaten within Guinea.
Bats that live in caves are often hunted about twice a year for "special occasions." The caves where Maclaud's horseshoe bats live are being used more and more for hunting. In 2014, people in Guinea were told not to eat bat meat. This was because of worries about spreading Ebola disease.
Many West African countries made it easier to eat bushmeat again in 2016. This happened after the World Health Organization said Ebola was no longer a global health emergency. However, Guinea has not yet lifted its ban on eating bats. The Fouta Djallon Plateau, where these bats were recently found, seems to have less bat hunting. This is based on what local people have said.
Bats in the Rhinolophus group are very sensitive to changes in their environment. So, other threats to them include their homes being damaged by logging (cutting down trees) and mining. In 2014, Bat Conservation International received money from the Disney Conservation Fund. This money was to help protect the bats' roosting places. It also helps teach people in Guinea about the dangers these bats face.
