In Europe: its body length is 5.2-7.1 cm, wingspan is 35-40 cm, weight is 13-34 g. The color of the back and wings is brownish-gray with a reddish tinge; belly lighter than back, greyish. Young animals are uniformly gray.

Great horseshoe

Great horseshoe
scientific classification
International scientific name

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (Schreber, )
Subspecies
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum creticum
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum ferrumequinum
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum irani
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum korai
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum nippon
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum proximus
  • Rhinolophus ferrumequinum tragatus
conservation status

Systematics
on Wikispecies
Images
at Wikimedia Commons
ITIS
NCBI
EOL

Distributed from North Africa (Morocco, Algeria) through all of Eurasia - from France and Spain through Asia Minor and Western Asia, the Caucasus, the Himalayas, Tibet, to China, the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The northern edge of the range enters the territory of Russia; here a large horseshoe bat is found in the North Caucasus from the Krasnodar Territory to Dagestan.

Habitats are confined to the foothills and low mountains, as well as to flat areas where there are shelters suitable for animals: natural and artificial dungeons, karst caves, crevices, ravines in river cliffs, suitable human buildings. In the mountains, this species is found up to 3500 m above sea level. IN summer time most males and young females stay alone or in small groups; females with offspring form aggregations ranging from a few dozen to hundreds of individuals, often in the neighborhood of colonies of other bats. Horseshoe bats fly out to hunt after dark. The flight is slow, straight; animals hunt not far from shelters, low above the ground. Food is served by large and medium-sized nocturnal insects (scoops, beetles, caddisflies). When hunting, echolocation signals are used at a frequency of 77-81 kHz, which are emitted through the nose.

They winter in caves, adits and other isolated shelters with a stable temperature from + 1 to + 10 ° C. Adult males and immature individuals of both sexes during wintering form joint aggregations of up to several hundred individuals, adult females usually keep separately. Hibernation can last from October to April, but its duration depends on the outside temperature and geographical location asylum. If the weather is warm enough for insects to appear, horseshoe bats can also hunt in winter. Large horseshoe bats mate in autumn, on wintering grounds, less often in spring; sperm is stored in the uterus of females until spring, when fertilization occurs. Pregnancy lasts about 3 months; the only cub is born in June-July. His eyes open on the 7th day; by 3-4 weeks of life he already knows how to fly. Becomes independent by 2 months puberty(in females) occurs only for 3 years. Females often do not mate until 5 years of age. The highest mortality is observed in the first year of life, primarily during wintering. Life expectancy is very high - more than 20 years.

Links and sources

Great horseshoe , like other horseshoe bats, a characteristic leathery outgrowth on the nose, similar to a horseshoe. It serves to transmit directional location signals.

Row - Bats
Family - horseshoe bats
Basic data:
DIMENSIONS
Body length: 5.2-7.1 cm.
Tail length: 3.1-4.3 cm.
Wingspan: 34-40 cm.
Weight: 13-27 g.

reproduction
Puberty: females - from 2-3 years old, males - from 2 years old.
Mating season: autumn and wintering.
Pregnancy: about 3 months.
Number of cubs: 1.

LIFESTYLE
Habits: sleeps and hibernates in colonies.
Food: moths, beetles.
Lifespan: about 30 years old.

Related species. About 80 species of horseshoe bats are known in the world, 5 species live in Europe. There are about 80 species of horseshoe bats. One feature distinguishes them from others bats: during sleep, they wrap themselves in their wings, and do not make them along the body. Of all bats, only some species of bats and horseshoe bats flow into hibernation.
Food. Large horseshoe bats feed on insects, mainly bears and beetles, which are caught on heaps of humus. Since they are active at night, these bats fly out of their shelters only after dark, that is, later than other types of bats. They have permanent routes and feeding places.
Like most insectivorous bats, great horseshoe bats catch food with their teeth or with the help of membranous wings. They use their wings like arms to guide insects directly into their mouths. big booty large horseshoe bats eat while hanging on a branch, small - during the flight. The special shape of the nose makes it possible to emit ultrasonic signals even while eating.
LIFESTYLE. The large horseshoe bat is common in warm regions, mainly in open areas overgrown with sparse forests and groves. He rests in caves. For wintering, horseshoe bats look for a cave or mine with a constant temperature of 7-10 C. In summer, horseshoe bats sleep under the roofs of sheds, on bell towers and in storehouses. IN temperate climate animals hibernate in deep, non-freezing and quite humid caves. When the horseshoe bat goes into hibernation, its body temperature drops and its heart rate slows down, however, when alarmed, it can easily wake up.

Reproduction. Adult animals do not breed annually, and females become sexually mature only from 2-3 years. Therefore, with intensive destruction of places suitable for their habitat, the number of the species can quickly decrease.
Mating takes place in autumn and for wintering. The timing of pregnancy depends on the air temperature - the higher the temperature, the faster the embryo develops. Therefore, pregnant females form brood colonies.
Adult male horseshoe bats visit colonies to find a female ready to mate. Only one baby is born. Newborns are blind and naked.
The babies are growing fast. At the age of 22 days, they can already fly. At the age of 30-40 days, they feed themselves and can go on long-distance migrations.

Relationship with a person. It is man who is responsible for the fact that the number of horseshoe bats is rapidly declining. During the last 100 years, the population has decreased by more than 90%. The main reason for this phenomenon was the destruction of habitats of horseshoe bats.
The intensive development of agriculture has led to a reduction in the number of virgin fields and meadows. Horseshoe bats are also in danger of being used in agriculture poisons, especially biocides, that destroy not only insects, but also bats that feed on them. Therefore, all horseshoe bats are included in the list of endangered species.
Horseshoe observations. The horseshoe bat is rarely seen in flight, as it flies out of its hiding place already in the dark and returns back before dawn. Horseshoe bats are active even on cold nights. You should not look for their hiding places, as they do not tolerate noise well. These the bats They also make sounds that humans can hear. In their colonies, the noise is raised by cubs, who begin to scream loudly, as soon as they are left on their own.

Did you know… There are about 950 species in a number of bats.
Bats are the most numerous, after rodents, a number of mammals.
During wintering, the animal takes 10 breaths per minute. Shortly before awakening, the number of breaths increases to 200 per minute.
During flight, the horseshoe bat moves its ears 60 times per second to pick up ultrasonic waves.
Small horseshoe, weighing only 3.6-8 g, is the smallest species of the family.
If you interrupt the wintering, then the animal will wake up completely in 50 minutes.
The big horseshoe is one of the most rare species bats of Central Europe.
Horseshoe bats send out 10 ultrasonic signals per second, other types of bats up to 200 signals.
Characteristic features of horseshoes:
Nose: This is the most important organ of the locating system. Ultrasound is emitted through the nose during flight. The direction of the sound is changed by moving the nostrils, not by turning the head.
Way to catch prey: A bat travels long distances in search of food. He searches for insects using a location system. Then it rushes down, chasing the prey, makes a trap from the wings and grabs the insect with its mouth.
There are characteristic leathery outgrowths on the nose. The middle fleshy part is like a horseshoe.

Location. From North Africa, Southern and Western Europe to the Himalayas, Korea and Japan. Lives in Australia, New Zealand, Philippines, Borneo and Japan related species horseshoe bat.
Preservation. Despite protection, in some places this species is threatened with extinction.

Interesting video about big horseshoe


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  • Class: Mammalia Linnaeus, 1758 = Mammals
  • Infraclass: Eutheria, Placentalia Gill, 1872 = Placental, higher animals
  • Order: Chiroptera Blumenbach, 1779 = Chiroptera
  • Family: Rhinolophidae Lesson, 1827 = Horseshoe bats

Species: Large horseshoe - Rhinolophus ferrumequinum

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum or the large horseshoe has a body weight of 13-27 g with a body length of 52-71 mm. The tail of the large horseshoe bat is 31-43 mm long, the forearm is 53-61 mm, and the wingspan is 35-40 cm. The connecting process has a rounded shape. The small premolar tooth of the upper jaw is very small and literally forced out of the dentition.

The color of the body of the great horseshoe bat varies from light fawn (in specimens from Central Asia) to brownish-red (living in the Caucasus) and ash-gray (from the Far East). The belly of this horseshoe bat is colored slightly lighter than their upper dorsal side.

The range of the large horseshoe bat is quite extensive and extends in the west from the countries of North Africa, Southern and Western Europe; further along Western Asia and the foothills of the Pamirs, the Himalayas and Tibet to Korea and Japan in the east. Only the northern edge of the range enters the territory of Russia. Large horseshoe bat found on site North Caucasus from Krasnodar Territory to Dagestan. It is possible that the Japanese horseshoe bat Rhinolophus nippon (including mikadoi and others) is a separate view, known from Russia only in a fossil state.

The large horseshoe bat inhabits desert areas within its range, where its habitats are confined to the foothills and low mountains and settlements, and deciduous forests and various cultivated landscapes. In the mountains, a large horseshoe bat is found up to an altitude of 3500 m above sea level. Usually he settles where there are shelters suitable for animals. His shelters are various caves, crevices in rocks, grottoes, dungeons, gullies in river cliffs, as well as attics of houses and other human buildings. The large horseshoe often settles in secluded places along with other species of local bats. In summer, most males and young females stay alone or in small groups.

A large horseshoe bat flies out to hunt at dusk. Hunts near shelters, low from the ground. The basis of its diet is made up of large and medium-sized nocturnal insects (various types of scoops, beetles, caddisflies, etc.). Their flight is rather slow and straightforward, while feeding they can use perches. The echolocation signals of the great horseshoe bat can be recorded mainly at a frequency of about 77-81 kHz.

The mating season and mating season falls on autumn and wintering. Pregnancy in females lasts about 3 months. Brood colonies often number up to several hundred females (up to 200-500 individuals), and males stay apart during this period. The female gives birth to one cub at the end of June. Babies feed on mother's milk for about 2 months, and then begin to lead an independent lifestyle.

Large horseshoe bats overwinter mainly in the same place where breeding occurs, singly or in groups of 5-15 individuals of both sexes. It is possible that some individuals are associated with only one refuge throughout their lives. Some individuals from places unsuitable for wintering may migrate to more southern regions. Horseshoe bats winter in caves, adits and dungeons, where the air temperature never drops below a few degrees Celsius.

A large horseshoe bat lives up to about 30 years. High mortality is observed in the first year of life, primarily during wintering.

The number of large horseshoe bats in Russia can be approximately estimated at no more than several tens of thousands of individuals. The open location of brood colonies, together with low fecundity, leads to a high sensitivity of animals to an increase in the disturbance factor. The development of speleotourism has a negative effect. The large horseshoe bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum, although a widespread, but in some places vulnerable species, therefore, as a rare species in Russia, is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation. The great horseshoe bat is listed on the IUCN-96n Red List; IUCN status: "LR:cd".

Large horseshoe bats have taken root perfectly in Krasnodar Territory and Dagestan. In addition, they live in Western Europe, North Africa and Japan. Within the range, the animals inhabit desert areas confined to low mountains, foothills and settlements, deciduous forests, as well as various cultivated landscapes. Usually they settle in shelters suitable for life: crevices in rocks, caves, dungeons, grottoes, gullies in river cliffs, in attics of houses and in other human buildings. Very often, horseshoe bats share these secluded places with other types of bats.

IN summer period mice are kept mostly alone or in small groups, are nocturnal, and rest during the day. During the rest, the animals hang head down, wrapping themselves with wings, like a cloak, and with the help of tenacious claws, they hold on tightly to the support. With the onset of dusk, large horseshoe bats fly out to hunt. They hunt low from the ground, near their shelters. The basis of their diet is made up of nocturnal insects - these are different kinds scoop, butterflies, beetles, caddisflies, etc. Animals find food with the help of a sound echo sounder, easily determining the places of accumulation large insects. During feeding, their flight is rather slow, silent and straightforward.

In October, horseshoe bats go into hibernation. At this time, their body temperature decreases, and in a state of stupor, the mice spend several months in secluded places where the air temperature is 7-10°C. Males winter together with young ones, in groups of 5-15 individuals, but separately from females with cubs. If the weather in winter is warm enough for the appearance of insects, then the animals interrupt hibernation with short awakenings and can hunt. Full awakening occurs in April, when the air warms up over 15 degrees.

Mating in large horseshoe bats occurs in the fall during wintering, but the fertilized egg does not develop until spring. Pregnancy in females lasts almost 3 months. The only cub is born in June or July. On the 7th day of age, his eyes open, and by 3-4 weeks of life, the baby is already starting to fly. It becomes independent at the age of 2 months, sexually mature - only for 3 years, but often until the age of 5 females do not mate. The highest mortality among young animals is observed in the first year of life, especially during long winters.

In natural natural conditions The life expectancy of a large horseshoe bat is about 20 years. He tolerates captivity well, but cases of reproduction in this situation are unknown. And although the animals are not threatened with complete disappearance from the face of the Earth, the large horseshoe bat is listed in the Red Book of Russia, as a species rare in the territory of the Russian Federation, with the status of category 3 (security). In Austria and western Germany, these bats are now threatened with extinction. A large number of animals die from pesticide poisoning by eating poisoned insects.

Representatives of this family of bats are easily distinguished from other bats by peculiar outgrowths on the nasal part of the head. However, these features of the structure of the muzzle are easy to see only when holding the animal in the hands, and not when the horseshoe flies out to hunt and flickers in dense twilight. The silhouette of the animal also has features. The posterior caudal section of the membrane is not extended downward in a wedge-shaped manner, as in other bats, but is more or less evenly cut.

The flight of horseshoe bats is noisy, fluttering, with frequent wing beats. In flight, they make low, creaking sounds. These animals cannot walk on a horizontal surface, and you can see them either in flight or during rest suspended from the vaults of towers or the ceiling of caves. At rest, the horseshoe claw clings to the irregularities of the stone with the claws of the hind limbs and hangs upside down, wrapping its wings around like a cloak, and throwing its tail over its back. At the same time, its paws seem unusually long, which helps to distinguish the sleeping horseshoe bat from other bats.

In Russia, there are 4 types of horseshoe bats. All of them can be seen only in the Caucasus. They differ from each other in size and structure of leathery outgrowths on the muzzle.

Small horseshoe- the smallest of them: body length 3.5–4 cm, tail 2.5–3 cm, wingspan 22 cm; body weight 3.5–10 g. Southern horseshoe slightly larger: body length 4.3–5.1 and tail 2.4–3.2 cm. It is very rare in our country. Celebrated in Nagorno-Karabakh. Spectacled horseshoe even larger: body length 5.5–6.4 and tail 2.4–3.2 cm. Great horseshoe in size it easily differs from small species of horseshoe bats, but is practically indistinguishable from the spectacled horseshoe bat. Its body length is 5.4–6.9 cm, tail 3.1–4.3 cm, wingspan 33 cm; body weight 13-34 g.

Horseshoe bats live under the domes of religious buildings, cave vaults, in rock crevices and stone ruins. Since these bats cannot walk on level ground, they settle in caves and cavities with wide openings that can be flown in rather than crawled in. It is quite obvious that we will not see traces of their paws and wings on the dusty surface of stones and wooden floors of buildings.

Horseshoe bats feed on insects and other invertebrates with soft covers - mosquitoes, midges, medium-sized butterflies. They eat prey not only on the fly, but often at their resting places, hanging upside down. Under the animals sleeping on the ceiling, you can see the droppings and the remains of eaten insects - the wings of moths and the covers of beetles.

In summer, horseshoe bats spend the day near the exit from the cave, and in winter they move deeper. But even in the middle of winter they lead enough active image life, as evidenced by fresh droppings and stomachs filled with half-digested food. By the way, among the remnants of the winter food of horseshoe bats, in addition to moths living in caves, the remains of spiders were also found.

In nature, there are no cases of horseshoe bats drinking water, as many other bats do.

The animals fly out for feeding approximately 30 minutes after sunset and hunt throughout the first half of the night. Tired, they return to rest in daytime shelters or hang from the stems of grasses hanging over the cliff. They fly out again to hunt before dawn.

They often form large aggregations, up to 500 individuals. These are almost exclusively females and juveniles. Adult males rest separately, singly or in pairs. On the ceiling they are not crowded, but separately, without touching each other.

All horseshoe bats give birth to one cub. He clings tightly in the groin area and travels for the first days on his mother's belly, turning his head to her tail. But soon the females begin to leave the cub in the cave and, returning, feed it with chewed food. Horseshoe bats live up to 15 years, but do not survive in captivity.