Greater Horseshoe Bat

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iGreater Horseshoe Bat

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Chiroptera
Family: Rhinolophidae
Genus: Rhinolophus
Species: R. ferrumequinum
Binomial name
Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
(Schreber, 1774)

The Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is a European bat with a wingspan of 34-39cm.

It is known to eat large insects in flight and prefers to roost while hanging upside down. It is mostly active in woodland and often roosts underground.

[edit] Status in Britain

Woodcut from R. A. Sterndale, 1884
Enlarge
Woodcut from R. A. Sterndale, 1884

The species is rare in Britain, confined to just a small number of sites. Its breeding sites include Brockley Hall Stables near Bristol, Iford Manor near Bath, and Littledean Hall in the Forest of Dean. Its winter hibernation sites include Banwell Caves and Compton Martin Ochre Mine in the Mendip Hills, Chilmark Quarries in Wiltshire, and Combe Down and Bathampton Down Mines near Bath. In Dorset, the species roosts at Bryanston, Creech Grange and in Belle Vue Quarry. The species also occurs at Berry Head in Devon.

[edit] References

  • Chiroptera Specialist Group (2000). Rhinolophus ferrumequinum. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this species is near threatened