African yellow bat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Chiroptera |
Family: | Vespertilionidae |
Genus: | Scotophilus |
Species: | S. dinganii |
Binomial name | |
Scotophilus dinganii A. Smith, 1833 | |
The African yellow bat (Scotophilus dinganii) is a species of bat in the family Vespertilionidae, the vesper bats. Other common names include African yellow house bat, yellow-bellied house bat, and Dingan's Bat. [1] It is one of fifteen species in the genus Scotophilus.
The African yellow bat is a medium sized, rather attractive bat with a dog-like snout. It is light brown above with a yellow belly, its eyes are clearly visible and its snout is short and broad. The wings vary in colour and may be olive, grey or red while the interfemoral membrane is brown and translucent. The total body length averages 130 mm (5.1 in), the forearm length is 50–58 mm (2.0–2.3 in) and its average weight is 23 g (0.81 oz). [2] [3]
The African yellow bat is native to Sub-Saharan Africa, where it occurs from Senegal and Gambia east to Djibouti, Eritrea, and Somalia south to South Africa, [1] where they reach the Eastern Cape. [3]
This species lives in savanna habitat, and it can be found near human habitation, where it roosts in houses. It may roost singly or in small colonies. [1]
African yellow bats mate in the Austral Autumn in southern Africa and then give birth to twins towards the end of November or early December in the Austral Spring. The young are able to fend for themselves from quite a young age, the females wean then within weeks of birth. African yellow bats show a strong faithfulness to roost sites. [3]
African yellow bats red during the day in hollows and cracks of large trees, their colonies rarely consisted of more than 12 individuals. Roosts are often situated in secluded spots in cracks in walls and roofs and as a result they have become frequent in suburbia. The roosts are normally very quiet and any households who host them are usually blissfully unaware of its presence. They do not normally fly out of the roost until total darkness has descended and they normally feed until they have satiated themselves, usually for around two hours before returning. [3] They sometimes share roosts with the smaller Cape serotine, from which it may be distinguished by its larger wing size and faster flight. [2] They prey mostly on beetles, but also plant-sucking bugs, flies, flying termites, moths and lacewings. [2]
The lesser horseshoe bat is a type of small European and North African insectivorous bat, related to its larger cousin, the greater horseshoe bat. As with all horseshoe bats, the species gets its name from its distinctive horseshoe-shaped noseleaf.
The little red flying-fox is a megachiropteran bat native to northern and eastern Australia. The species weighs about half a kilogram, one US pound, and is the smallest species of Pteropus in mainland Australia. P. scapulatus occurs at the coast and further inland, camping and flying to the tropical to temperate regions that provide them with an annual source of nectar. They exhibit an unusual method of obtaining drinking water during dry periods, skimming a stream's surface to gather it onto their fur while they are in flight.
Gould's long-eared bat is a microbat found in southern regions of Australia. It occurs in eastern Australia, from Queensland to Victoria, and in a smaller isolated range in the south-west of Western Australia.
The southern yellow bat is a species of vesper bat that belongs to suborder microchiroptera (microbat) in the family Vespertilionidae. It is native to South, North and Central America, from the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in the United States to Argentina.
The white-bellied yellow bat or white-bellied house bat, is a species of vesper bat in the genus Scotophilus, the house bats. It can be found in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Uganda, and Zambia. It is found in dry and moist savanna and open woodland. It is a common species with a very wide range, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature has assessed its conservation status as being of "least concern".
Schreber's yellow bat or the giant house bat, is a species of vesper bat. It is found in Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, and Zimbabwe. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests, dry savanna, and moist savanna. It is an uncommon species and its biology is poorly known. It was first described in 1774 by the German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, who named it Vespertilio nigrita. It was later transferred to the genus Scotophilus, making it Scotophilus nigrita.
The Ussuri tube-nosed bat is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae. It is threatened by habitat loss. It is the only species of bat that hibernates in snowbanks.
The Cape serotine is a species of vesper bat occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa. 'Serotine' is from Latin 'serotinus' meaning ‘of the evening'.
The yellow-bellied sheath-tailed bat, also known as the yellow-bellied sheathtail or yellow-bellied pouched bat, is a microbat species of the family Emballonuridae found extensively in Australia and less commonly in parts of Papua New Guinea.
The naked-rumped tomb bat is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. Found in northern Africa, the Middle East, and southeastern Asia, its natural habitats are dry savanna, subtropical or tropical dry shrubland and forests, caves, and arid areas.
Wahlberg's epauletted fruit bat is a species of megabat in the family Pteropodidae. It is commonly found across southern Africa.
The Sinaloan mastiff bat is a species of bat in the family Molossidae, native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America.
The Jamaican flower bat is a critically endangered species of bat in the family Phyllostomidae. It is endemic to Jamaica.
Scotophilus is a genus of vespertilionid bats commonly called yellow bats. They are found in southern Asia and Africa. They are the only members of the tribe Scotophilini.
Livingstone's yellow bat or Livingstone's house bat is a species of bat found in Africa.
The Marovaza yellow bat or Marovaza house bat is a species of bat found in Madagascar.
Trujillo's yellow bat or Trujillo's house bat is a species of vesper bat endemic to Kenya.
The Malagasy yellow bat, sometimes known as the western yellow bat, is a species of vesper bat endemic to Madagascar.