Bats of Israel

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The most common bat in Tel Aviv, according to one report, is the Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus. Rousettus aegyptiacus Tel Aviv 250504.jpg
The most common bat in Tel Aviv, according to one report, is the Egyptian fruit bat, Rousettus aegyptiacus.

To date, thirty-three species of Israeli bats have been identified, of which 32 are insectivorous bats. [2]

Contents

The largest bat hibernation site in Israel is the Twins Cave near Beit Shemesh. [3]

One-third of the species of bats of Israel are found in the Jordan Valley region, with many inhabiting abandoned Israeli military outposts along the border with Jordan. [4]

Beginning in the 1950s, bat caves in Israel were routinely fumigated to reduce the number of fruit bats in the country. As the population of fruit bats declined, so did that of other bat species. Consequently, the number of noctuid moths soared, resulting in extensive damage to crops. [5]

Bat caves

The largest bat hibernation site in Israel is the Twins Cave, south of Beit Shemesh. [6] The cave is a karstic formation measuring 50m x 70m and takes its name from a local Arab legend about a woman who drank from a spring in the cave and subsequently gave birth to a pair of twins. The cave forms part of the Twins Cave Nature Reserve. [7]

List of bats of Israel

Insectivorous bats

Fruit bats

See also

Related Research Articles

Gray bat species of mammal

The gray bat once flourished in caves all over the southeastern United States, but due to human disturbance, gray bat populations declined severely during the early and mid portion of the 20th century. At one cave alone, the Georgetown Cave in northwestern Alabama, populations declined from 150,000 gray bats to 10,000 by 1969. 95% of gray bats now only roost in 9 caves. M. grisescens has been listed as federally endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service since 1976, and is protected under the Endangered Species Act. Gray bat populations were estimated at approximately 2 million bats around the time they were placed on the Endangered Species list. By the early 1980s populations of gray bats dropped to 1.6 million. With conservation efforts in place, in 2002, gray bat populations were estimated to have reached 2.3 million.

Philippine naked-backed fruit bat species of mammal

The Philippine naked-backed fruit bat or Philippine bare-backed fruit bat is a megabat that mostly lives on Negros Island. Two small populations were also found on Cebu Island in the Philippines. Like other bare-backed fruit bats, its wings meet along the midline of their bodies, making it a very agile flier. It roosted in caves, in areas where little light penetrated the gloom. It was so abundant once that it left piles of guano, which were used by miners as fertiliser.

Indiana bat species of mammal

The Indiana bat is a medium-sized mouse-eared bat native to North America. It lives primarily in southern and midwestern states and in parts of the south of the United States and is listed as an endangered species. The Indiana bat is gray, black, or chestnut in color and is 1.2–2 inches and weighs 4.5 – 9.5 grams. It is similar in appearance to the more common little brown bat but is distinguished by its feet size, toe hair length, pink lips and a keel on the calcar.

Pallid bat species of mammal

The pallid bat is a species of bat that ranges from western Canada to central Mexico. It is the sole species of its genus and is closely related to Van Gelder's bat, which is sometimes included in Antrozous. Although it has in the past been placed in its own subfamily (Antrozoinae) or even family (Antrozoidae), it is now considered part of the subfamily Vespertilioninae and the tribe Antrozoini.

Tegart fort

A Tegart fort is a type of militarized police fort constructed throughout Palestine during the British Mandatory period, initiated as a measure against the 1936–39 Arab Revolt.

Evening bat species of mammal

The evening bat is a species of bat in the vesper bat family that is native to North America.

Rafinesques big-eared bat species of mammal

Rafinesque's big-eared bat, sometimes known as the southeastern big-eared bat, is a species of vesper bat native to the southeastern United States.

Townsends big-eared bat species of mammal

Townsend's big-eared bat is a species of vesper bat.

Lord Howe long-eared bat species of mammal

Lord Howe long-eared bat, species Nyctophilus howensis, is a vespertilionid bat known only by a single specimen, a skull found on Lord Howe Island in 1972. A mammalian insectivorous species resembling the long-eared Nyctophilus, with an elongated head that is comparatively larger, about which almost nothing is known. The bat may have been casually observed in flight during the twentieth century, but is likely to have become extinct since the island's discovery and occupation. The demise of N. howensis is possibly the result of shipwrecked rats and the owls introduced to control them.

Eastern small-footed myotis species of mammal

The eastern small-footed bat is a species of vesper bat. It can be found in Ontario and Quebec in Canada and in the Eastern United States. It is among the smallest bats in eastern North America and is known for its small feet and black face-mask. Until recently all North American small-footed Myotis were considered to be "Myotis leibii". The western population is now considered to be a separate species, Myotis ciliolabrum. The Eastern small footed bat is rare throughout its range, although the species may be locally abundant where suitable habitat exists. Studies suggest white-nose syndrome has caused declines in their populations. However, most occurrences of this species have only been counted within the past decade or two and are not revisited regularly, making their population status difficult to assess. Additionally, bat populations in the Eastern U.S. have typically been monitored using surveys conducted in caves and mines in the winter, but small-footed bats hibernate in places that make them unlikely to be encountered during these surveys. As a result, numbers of small-footed bats counted in winter tend to be low and relatively variable compared to other species of bats. Many biologists believe the species is stable, having declined little in recent times, but that it is vulnerable, especially in its cave hibernacula.

Cave myotis species of mammal

The cave myotis is a species of vesper bat (Vespertilionidae) in the genus Myotis.

The northern cave bat is a vespertilionid bat that occurs in Australia.

Finlayson's cave bat is a species of vespertilionid bat found only in Australia.

Greater mouse-tailed bat species of mammal

The greater mouse-tailed bat is a species of bat in the Rhinopomatidae family. It is found in Algeria, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Myanmar, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Sudan, Thailand, Tunisia, the Western Sahara and Yemen. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical dry shrubland. They mate at the beginning of spring.

An urban kibbutz is a form of kibbutz located within an existing city. There are currently just over 100 in Israel, totalling around 2,000 members.

Ozark big-eared bat subspecies of mammal

The Ozark big-eared bat is an endangered species found only in a small number of caves in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri, the southern central United States. Also known as the western big-eared bat, the long-eared bat, and the lump-nosed bat, its appearance is defined by a pair of outsize ears and a lump-adorned nose. The Ozark big-eared bat is the largest and reddest of the five subspecies of Corynorhinus townsendii and is medium-sized and weighs from 0.2 to 0.5 ounces. It has very large, 1-in-long ears that connect at the base across the forehead. The snout has large, prominent lumps above the nostrils. These particular bats feed on moths and other insects; they forage along forest edges.

Bat Order of flying mammals

Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera; with their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more manoeuvrable than birds, flying with their very long spread-out digits covered with a thin membrane or patagium. The smallest bat, and arguably the smallest extant mammal, is Kitti's hog-nosed bat, which is 29–34 mm (1.14–1.34 in) in length, 15 cm (5.91 in) across the wings and 2–2.6 g (0.07–0.09 oz) in mass. The largest bats are the flying foxes and the giant golden-crowned flying fox, Acerodon jubatus, which can weigh 1.6 kg (4 lb) and have a wingspan of 1.7 m.

Daubentons bat species of mammal

Daubenton's bat is a Eurasian bat with rather short ears. It ranges from Britain to Japan (Hokkaido) and is considered to be increasing its numbers in many areas.

References

  1. Bulwar David-Hay, Miriam (1 March 2009). "Bats and rats". Jerusalem Post . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  2. Shalmon, Benny; Korine, Carmi (Spring 2003). Locke, Robert, ed. "The Bats of Israel: Conservationists Make Steady Progress" (PDF). BATS Magazine. Austin, Texas: Bat Conservation International. 21 (1): 6–7. ISSN   1049-0043 . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  3. Ashkenazi, Eli (5 November 2007). "Let sleeping bats lie". Haaretz . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  4. Rinat, Zafrir (10 January 2012). "Thousands of bats found hanging out in abandoned army outposts". Haaretz . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  5. "The Bats of Israel Yesterday and Today: 1989-90". BATS Magazine. Austin, Texas: Bat Conservation International. 7 (4). Winter 1989. ISSN   1049-0043 . Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  6. Ashkenazi, Eli (5 November 2007). "Let sleeping bats lie". Haaretz . Retrieved 10 January 2012.
  7. Hareuveni, Imanuel (1985). קום התהלך בארץ: מדריך שמורות טבע בישראל[Nature Reserves in Israel] (in Hebrew) (2nd ed.). Israel Ministry of Defense. p. 320–321. ISBN   965-05-0193-2.