Habitat: Unknown in Egypt. Elsewhere, from farmland, in gardens, olive groves, along old walls, and buildings.
Habits: Little known but presumably much as other shrews. Nests in cavities in walls or rocks, or beneath tree roots.
Similar species: See other small shrews. Minute size and relatively large ears should be diagnostic.
The bats are unique amongst the mammals in their ability to fly. While other mammals, such as the flying squirrels, the scaly-tails, and the peculiar flying lemurs—none of which occur in Egypt—can glide on skin membranes between their outstretched limbs, it is only the bats that are capable of true, flapping flight. In order to do this, the bats have evolved a body plan radically different from any other group of mammals. The forelimbs have essentially become the wings with the fingers greatly elongated to form a framework over which the flight membrane (a slender membrane of skin and narrow layers of muscle fibers) is stretched. The membrane extends back to the much-reduced hind limbs and, in many species, to the tail as well. The extent and shape of the flight membrane is important in identification.
In devoting the forelimbs to flight, the bats have largely sacrificed their ability to move on the ground, although, amongst the Egyptian species, the free-tailed bats can move relatively rapidly across walls, etc., scuttling along using their folded wings as legs. Most bats roost upside down, suspended by their hind feet or clinging by their hind feet from a cave, tomb, or building wall. At rest, the wings may be wrapped around the bat, as in the horseshoe bats, or folded up on either side as in the rat-tailed bats.
Most bats are nocturnal, though the actual time of flight varies, some species emerging at dusk, others feeding later at night.
The Old World Fruit Bats—Suborder Megachiroptera Family Pteropodidae
Approx. 173 species with 1 in Egypt
The fruit bats are the largest bats and differ from other bats, not only in size but also in their prominent eyes, relatively small ears with no tragus, two wing claws, and the absence, or great reduction, of the tail and interfemoral (tail) membrane. There is only one Egyptian species, the Egyptian Fruit Bat Rousettus egyptiacus.
EGYPTIAN FRUIT BAT Rousettus egyptiacus (E. Geoffroy St-Hilaire, 1810) PL 3
Egyptian Fruit Bat (Rousettus egyptiacus)
Subspecies occurring in Egypt: R. e. egyptiacus.
Arabic: Khuffash al-fak-ha misri
Identification: Length 126–167mm; Tail 8–19mm; Forearm 84–99mm; Weight 130g. Male probably slightly larger than female. Large, short-tailed bat with fox-like face and prominent eyes. With a wingspan of up to 60cm, this is by far the largest Egyptian bat, identifiable by size alone, but in the hand, the second finger is clawed, tragus absent, and ear margin complete. Overall pale grayish to brown in color, slightly darker above. Male has elongated hair on the throat related to scent glands. Inter-femoral membrane much reduced and tail very short (appears tailless in flight).
Range and status: Eastern Mediterranean, including southern Turkey and Cyprus, east to Iran and Pakistan. Arabia and much of Africa. In Egypt, found throughout the Nile Valley south to Aswan. Also in cities including Cairo (inc. Mohandiseen, Giza, Zamalck, and Garden City) where common. Other records from north coast near Mersa Matruh, Port Said, and Suez.
Habitat: Cultivated areas to desert margins, towns, and cities. Preferred roosts are mosques, deserted buildings, tombs, monuments (inc. Giza pyramids), etc., that are generally humid with some indirect light.
Habits: Nocturnal with peaks at dusk and dawn. Often in large colonies of hundreds, even thousands. Although they have large eyes, these fruit bats can also echolocate and, thus, fly in complete darkness. Probably use sonar to find their way out of their roost and then fly by sight. Voice audible, metallic squeak emitted by clicking the tongue. Feeds mainly on fruit, e.g., mango, date, figs, etc., and leaves. Also seen at Bombax flowers although not proven to feed on them. Can be found by directing torchlight at fruiting tree and seeing orange-yellow eye reflection. Gestation 4 months, breeding February/March to May in Egypt, though elsewhere in region breeds twice a year. One occasionally 2 young. Predators include large falcons and owls, especially the Barn Owl Tyto alba.
Notes: Unpopular as they can deface monuments and eat fruit crops. However, research in Israel showed that Egyptian Fruit Bats ate only ripe fruit rather than fruit for packing, processing, and transport, which is picked green. Moreover, gassing of roosts resulted in decimation of insect-eating bats and a rise in the level of insect pests. In Africa, they have been shown to be important pollinators and seed dispersers.
Similar species: In Egypt, only Tadarida bats reach anything near the size of Egyptian Fruit Bats and can be further distinguished by much larger ears, darker color, and prominent tail.
The Insectivorous Bats—Suborder Microchiroptera
The insectivorous bats form a much larger group than the fruit bats and are represented in Egypt by twenty-one different species, although several are known only from very few records. Unlike the fruit bats, the insectivorous bats hunt actively for insects, which they find using echolocation, a form of sonar. The face of most bats may appear grotesque to human eyes, but it is actually adapted to emit and receive high frequency or ultra-sonic sound waves. The bat releases a constant series of clicks through the mouth or nostrils that are then reflected off any obstacle or prey. The rebounded sound is picked up by the ears that are often very large and possess a lobe known as the tragus (absent in the horseshoe bats) at the opening. The rapidity and sensitivity of the bats’ echolocation system can be seen by simply watching bats flying around at speed at dusk, rapidly dodging and weaving in pursuit of flying insects. The insect-eating bats are probably important agents in insect pest control in agricultural areas. Since the insectivorous bats hunt by echolocation, the eyes in many species have been reduced to a greater or lesser extent.
Note: All bat tragi and noseleaves after Qumsiyah (1985) and Harrison and Bates (1991).
Identification in the field of the twenty-one species of insectivorous bats is very difficult, and in trying to identify free-flying bats, the type of flight is important: high, low, over water, fast, slow, etc., as is the habitat, and the geographical location. For instance, a large-eared bat seen in arid desert is far more likely to be Hemprich’s Long-eared Bat Otonycteris hemprichii than the Gray Long-eared Bat Plecotus austriacus or the Egyptian Slit-faced Bat Nycteris the-baica. In the hand, identification to family level can be made by looking at ear and nose patterns, tail and interfemoral membrane form, wing shape, color, and bare areas. These will all be discussed under individual families.
Rat-tailed Bats—Family Rhinopomatidae
3 species worldwide with 2 in Egypt.
Distinguished from all other Egyptian bats by the greatly elongated and very slender tail and virtual absence of interfemoral membrane. In practice, this feature is impossible to see in flight and is so slender that it can only just be made out when
