Horseshoe bat

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Horseshoe bat

Horseshoe bats (the Rhinolophidae family) are a large family of bats including approximately 130 species grouped in 10 genera. They either belong to the suborder Microchiroptera (microbat

Microbat

The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera . They are most often referred to by their scientific name....
s) or the Yinpterochiroptera

Yinpterochiroptera

The Yinpterochiroptera is a proposed suborder of the Chiroptera, which includes the megabats and three of the microbat families: Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae and Megadermatidae....
.

rhinolophids have leaf-like protuberances on their noses. In rhinolophines species, these take the shape of a horseshoe; in hipposiderine, they are leaf- or spear-like.

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Horseshoe bats (the Rhinolophidae family) are a large family of bats including approximately 130 species grouped in 10 genera. They either belong to the suborder Microchiroptera (microbat

Microbat

The microbats constitute the suborder Microchiroptera within the order Chiroptera . They are most often referred to by their scientific name....
s) or the Yinpterochiroptera

Yinpterochiroptera

The Yinpterochiroptera is a proposed suborder of the Chiroptera, which includes the megabats and three of the microbat families: Rhinopomatidae, Rhinolophidae and Megadermatidae....
.

Appearance

All rhinolophids have leaf-like protuberances on their noses. In rhinolophines species, these take the shape of a horseshoe; in hipposiderine, they are leaf- or spear-like. They emit echolocation

Animal echolocation

Echolocation, also called biosonar, is the biological sonar used by several animals such as dolphins, shrews, most bats, and most whales....
calls through these structures, which may serve to focus the sound. Their hind limbs are not well developed, so that they cannot walk on all fours; conversely, their wings are broad, making their flight particularly agile. Most rhinolophids are dull brown or reddish brown in color. They vary in size from 2.5 cm to 14 cm in head-body length, and 4 to 120 grams in weight. Their dental formula

Dentition

Dentition is the tooth development of teeth and their arrangement in the mouth.All mammals except the monotremes, the xenarthrans, the pangolins, and the cetaceans have up to four distinct types of teeth, with a maximum number for each....
is:

Ecology

Rhinolophids inhabit temperate

Temperate

In geography, temperate or tepid latitudes of the globe lie between the tropics and the polar circles. The changes in these regions between summer and winter are generally mild, rather than extreme hot or cold....
and tropical regions of southern Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km? including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area....
, and Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
south to northern and eastern Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
, including many Pacific islands

Pacific Islands

The Pacific Ocean contains an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 islands . Those islands lying south of the tropic of Cancer but excluding Australia are traditionally grouped into three divisions: Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia....
. All species are insectivorous, capturing insects in flight. Their roost habits are diverse; some species are found in large colonies in caves, some prefer hollow trees, and others sleep in the open, among the branches of trees. Members of northern populations may hibernate

Hibernation

Hibernation is a state of inactivity and Metabolism depression in animals, characterized by lower body temperature, slower breathing, and lower metabolic rate....
during the winter, while a few are known to aestivate; at least one species is migratory. Like many Vespertilionidae bats, females of some rhinolophid species mate during the fall and store the sperm

Sperm

The term sperm is derived from the Greek word sperma and refers to the male reproductive Cell . In the types of sexual reproduction known as anisogamy and oogamy, there is a marked difference in the size of the gametes with the smaller one being termed the "male" or sperm cell....
over the winter, conceiving and gestating

Gestation

Gestation is the carrying of an embryo or fetus inside a female viviparous animal. Mammals during mammalian pregnancy can have one or more gestations at the same time ....
young beginning in the spring.

Classification

The Rhinolophidae family is usually divided into two subfamilies, the Rhinolophinae (horse-shoe bats) and Hipposiderinae

Hipposiderinae

Hipposiderinae is a subfamily of horseshoe bats. There are 9 genera within this subfamily, namely:*Anthops *Asellia *Aselliscus ...
(Old World leaf-nosed bats). Although there is little question that these two groups of bats are closely related, the leaf-nosed bats are sometimes raised to the status of a full family, the Hipposideridae, alongside the Rhinlophidae. Many species are extremely difficult to distinguish.

Subfamily Rhinolophinae

Genus Rhinolophus
Rhinolophus

The genus Rhinolophus, commonly called horseshoe bats, comprises approximately 69 distinct species and the only genus of subfamily Rhinolophinae....
(horseshoe bats)

Subfamily Hipposiderinae
Hipposiderinae

Hipposiderinae is a subfamily of horseshoe bats. There are 9 genera within this subfamily, namely:*Anthops *Asellia *Aselliscus ...

Genus Anthops (flower-faced bat)
Genus Asellia
Asellia

Asellia is a genus of bat in the Hipposideridae family.It contains the following species:* Patrizi's Trident Leaf-nosed Bat * Trident Bat ...
(trident leaf-nosed bats)
Genus Aselliscus
Aselliscus

Aselliscus is a genus of bat in the Hipposideridae family.It contains the following species:* Stoliczka's Trident Bat * Temminck's Trident Bat ...
(Tate's trident-nosed bats)
Genus Cloeotis (Percival's trident bat)
Genus Coelops
Coelops

Coelops is a genus of bat in the Hipposideridae family.It contains the following species:* East Asian Talless Leaf-nosed Bat * Philippine Tailless Leaf-nosed Bat ...
(tailless leaf-nosed bats)
Genus Hipposideros
Hipposideros

Hipposideros is a genus of bats. They are collectively called roundleaf bats after the shape of their nasal ornament.Species included in this genus are:...
(round leaf bats)
Genus Paracoelops (Vietnam leaf-nosed bat)
Genus Rhinonicteris (orange leaf-nosed bat)
Genus Triaenops
Triaenops

Triaenops is a genus of bat in the Hipposideridae family.It contains the following species:*Grandidier's Trident Bat * Trouessart's Trident Bat ...
(triple leaf-nosed bats)

However with the recent evidence that these bats may in fact not be part of the Microchiroptera, but rather the highly new group Yinpterochiroptera

Yinpterochiroptera

Megabat

Megabats is the term used informally to refer to bats of the family Pteropodidae. They are also referred to as fruit bats, old world fruit bats, or flying foxes....
s and two other bat families that are also once consider as part of the Microchiroptera.

Medical significance

Horseshoe bats are the natural zoonotic reservoir of the SARS coronavirus. Bat urine and feces contains numerous virus particles.