Julio
and Erna Balona from the Gauteng Bat Interest Group visited Medike to
sample the bat fauna of the Western Soutpansberg and managed to catch 12
species in two nights. We were lucky enough to see these amazing
animals up close and learned a lot from Julio and Erna who were eager to
share their knowledge and enthusiasm. The following post represents their finds.
1 Geoffroy’s
horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus clivosus)
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| Geoffroy’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus clivosus) Photo: Julio Balona. |
Widespread and most commonly found in the temperate regions
of southern Africa. This bat tolerates a range of habitats and it is suspected
that it is not just one species and there may actually be as many as four
different kinds that resemble each other very closely. They are medium sized and their strange ‘nose leaves’ allow
them to practice very sophisticated sonar (known as echolocation) in order to
navigate and capture their prey of moths, beetles and other insects. They usually roost in true caves or old mine tunnels during
the day, but may occasionally use dark abandoned buildings.
2 Bushveld horseshoe
bat (Rhinolophus simulator)
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| Bushveld horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus simulator) Photo: Julio Balona. |
As its name implies, this horseshoe bat is normally found in
the warmer savannah and woodland areas of the country and is smaller than
Geoffroy’s horseshoe bat. It is also less fussy about roost sites and is often
found in the hollow spaces between large boulders, although it will use true
caves and old mine tunnels. In addition to their horseshoe shaped nose leaves they have
a fleshy horn-like projection called the connecting process. This is known to
be used for sonar but its precise function is unclear. It probably feeds mainly on moths and beetles.
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Smithers’s horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus smithersi) Photo: Trevor Morgan (taken at Pafuri)
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This beautiful beast is significantly larger than both
Geoffroy’s and the Bushveld. It has similar roosting habits to the latter but
likely feeds on much bigger prey such as dung beetles. Originally considered
one species (the mother of all African horseshoe bats), it was split into five
very similar ones that are geographically separated and have distinctly
different sonar call frequencies. The individual captured at Medike escaped before it could be
photographed.
4 Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis)
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Natal long-fingered bat (Miniopterus natalensis) Photo: Julio Balona
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The most common and widespread cave bat in southern Africa,
it is named for the long finger bone which extends its wing to resemble that of
a swallow. Like these birds, long-fingered bats spend a lot of time flying
swiftly high above, and often forage low over water and drink from it by
skimming the surface. An alternative name for this family is the clinging bat
due to its habit of clinging together with others in clumps. Medium sized, they roost in caves almost exclusively and can
be found in large colonies of hundreds of thousands. Due to their preference for soft-bodied insects, especially
moths, they are an invaluable asset in the control of agricultural pests.
5 Yellow House bat (Scotophilus dinganii)
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| Yellow House bat (Scotophilus dinganii) Photo: Erna Balona |
This placid and rather attractive bat with its yellow
underside and velvety olive green dorsal fur is a common woodland species. In
the wild it roosts inside natural tree holes or those made by barbets or
woodpeckers, but is happy to use roofs, hence its name. With a short muzzle armed with large teeth, it seems adapted
to eat hard shelled prey such as beetles.
6 Zulu serotine (Neoromicia zuluensis)
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| Zulu serotine (Neoromicia zuluensis) Photo: Erna Balona |
One of the ‘little brown jobs’, these bats are extremely
difficult to identify without microscopic examination of the teeth and
recording of its sonar call. They are quite small, weighing around five grams,
and it is believed that they roost under loose bark and probably cracks in tree
stems.
They probably subsist on small moths, beetles, mosquitoes
and other insects.
7 Long-tailed serotine (Eptesicus hottentotus)
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Long-tailed serotine (Eptesicus hottentotus) Photo: Erna Balona
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These handsome bats that resemble the ‘little brown jobs’,
are much easier to identify with their thick woolly fur and because they are
noticeably larger, weighing about twenty five grams.
Always found in mountainous areas, they roost in rock
crevices in cliff faces and probably large boulders. They usually feed low over
water, most likely due to the greater number of insects that gather there.
8 Little free-tailed bat (Chaerephon pumilus)
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| Little free-tailed bat (Chaerephon pumilus) Erna Balona. |
Resembling flying dogs with hairy Hobbit-like feet, the
free-tailed bats are full of character. They are so named because unlike almost
all other bats, their tails are not enclosed in a membrane and protrude like
that of a mouse. The Little free-tail is particularly feisty and will squeak
loudly in protest when captured, its sharp teeth are best avoided. They live in colonies of hundreds or thousands of bats in
holes in trees and under loose bark, and probably also in rock crevices in
cliffs.
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| Male Little free-tailed bat bat with his crest raised.(Chaerephon pumilus) Erna Balona. |
However they actually seem to prefer the roofs of buildings
and that is where they most often found. The male has a cute crest of hair that
he can raise at will and is believed to be full of scent which is probably used
to attract females or mark territory.
9 Angolan free-tailed bat (Mops condylurus)
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Angolan free-tailed bat (Mops condylurus) Photo: Erna Balona.
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Larger and stockier than the Little free-tailed bat, they
are also more localized in distribution – in South Africa they are mainly found
on the eastern coast, from Durban northwards and over the lowveld region
covered by the Kruger National Park. Their extension into the Soutpansberg
brings them to what is most likely the western limit of their distribution at
Medike as well as that of the Little free-tail. Both species are fast flyers
and have long thin wings, spending most of the time above the trees catching
insects such as moths, beetles, mosquitoes and bugs.
The Angolan Free-tailed bat often roosts in building roofs
and has been shown to tolerate temperatures of around 40C under hot corrugated
iron sheeting in the sun.
10 Rufous Mouse-eared bat (Myotis bocagii)
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| Rufous Mouse-eared bat (Myotis bocagii) Photo: Erna Balona. |
An attractive bat with its coppery dorsal fur and cream
underside, it is fairly scarce and found only in the warmer, wetter parts of
the country. Not much is known about its roosting habits here and it is
suspected of hanging in trees, possibly camouflaged amongst dead leaves. In
central Africa it is known to roost inside the tubular new leaves of banana
plants. It feeds on small moths, beetles and bugs.
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| Rufous Mouse-eared bat (Myotis bocagii) Photo: Julio Balona. |
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| Schlieffen's Twilight bat (Nycticeinops schlieffenii) Photo: Julio Balona. |
Weighing around five grams, this is one of southern Africa’s
smallest bats. Although limited to warmer low lying woodland areas of South
Africa, it is often the most common bat and one of the first to appear in the
evening. Despite its diminutive size, it often snarls aggressively at its
captor, which just makes it look more cute than dangerous. They roost under loose bark and in crevices in trees and
perhaps also rocks.
Often feeding near water, they eat small insects and
probably consume a lot of mosquitoes.
12 Slit-faced bat (Nycteris spp.)
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| Slit-faced bat (Nycteris spp.)Photo: Trevor Morgan (taken at Pafuri) |
One of these bats escaped before it could be properly
identified. The incredible ears and slit in the nose make it immediately recognizable
but close examination is required to say which species. However, by far the
most common member of this family is the Egyptian slit-faced bat (Nycteris
thebaica) and it is unlikely to have been another species.
These special creatures have a number skills. Their sonar is
purposefully kept very soft so that insects that can hear bat calls (many moths
in particular), cannot hear a hunting slit-faced bat until it is too late. The
large ears are also extremely sensitive to other prey sounds such as rustling
in leaves which allow them to locate anything from moths to crickets to sun
spiders and scorpions. Slit-faced bats are seldom captured in the standard devices
of scientists (mistnets and harp traps) because their sonar is usually too
sensitive to be fooled. They are therefore typically caught within their roosts
which are large or small cavities, such as caves, hollows between large
boulders and aardvark burrows.
