Rüppell's horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus fumigatus'') is a species of

bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most bi ...

in the family Rhinolophidae found in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical dry forests,

savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland-grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosystem characterised by the trees being sufficiently widely spaced so that the canopy does not close. The open canopy allows sufficient light to reach the ground to ...

, caves and other subterranean habitats. This species is quite common in parts of its range, and no specific threats have been recognised, so the

International Union for Conservation of Nature The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN; officially International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) is an international organization working in the field of nature conservation and sustainable use of natu ...

has rated its conservation status as being of "

least concern A least-concern species is a species that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as evaluated as not being a focus of species conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. T ...

Description

Rüppell's horseshoe bat is a small microbat, although fairly large for an African species. The upper parts have grey to greyish brown fur, each individual hair having a pale greyish-brown or greyish-fawn shaft with a blackish tip. The underparts are slightly paler than the dorsal pelage. The ears are small and the noseleaf has a sub-triangular lancet with slightly concave sides and a rounded tip. The horseshoe is about wide and approximately covers the muzzle. The wing membranes are dark brown to dark grey. The only other bat species with which it is likely to be confused are the

eloquent horseshoe bat The eloquent horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus eloquens'') is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lo ...

(''Rhinolophus eloquens'') and

Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat Hildebrandt's horseshoe bat (''Rhinolophus hildebrandtii'') is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae found in Africa. Its natural habitats are savanna A savanna or savannah is a mixed woodland- grassland (i.e. grassy woodland) ecosy ...

(''Rhinolophus hildebrandtii''), both of which are slightly larger.

Distribution and habitat

Rüppell's horseshoe bat is

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

to Africa, south of the

Sahara , photo = Sahara real color.jpg , photo_caption = The Sahara taken by Apollo 17 astronauts, 1972 , map = , map_image = , location = , country = , country1 = , ...

. It occupies a large swathe of western and central Africa, ranging from Senegal and the Gambia eastwards to Sudan, Ethiopia and Eritrea. Its range continues southwards along the eastern side of Africa to Angola, Namibia and northern South Africa. It is generally associated with both dry and wet

h areas, and with dry forests. It roosts colonially in

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ruppell's horseshoe bat Rhinolophidae Mammals described in 1842 Taxonomy articles created by Polbot Bats of Africa Taxa named by Eduard Rüppell