Miniopterus schreibersii
Schreibers's long-fingered bat

Miniopterus schreibersi is foung in Southern Europe to Japan and the Solomon Islands, Philippines, northern Africa, Africa south of the Sahara, and northern and eastern Australia (Nowak, 1997).

M. schreibersi has been found to roost in caves, rock clefts, culverts, caverns, and galleries (Grzimek, 1990; Nowak, 1997).

Studies of this species in India showed that the population of a given area tended to be centered in one large cave but that individuals spent part of their time in secondary roosts within a 70 km radius (Nowak, 1997).

Miniopterus schreibersi has a body length of 52 to 63 mm, a tail length of 50 to 60 mm, and a forearm length of 42 to 48 mm. Its color ranges from grey to yellowish brown (Grzimek, 1990).

Miniopterus schreibersi is a medium sized bat with extremely long fingers and correspondingly broad wings (Grzimek, 1990). The second bone of the longest finger is about three times as long as the first bone. When hanging by its hind feet, this lengthened terminal part of the third finger folds back on the wing (Nowak, 1997).

The body hairs of M. schreibersi stand erect. A small tragus is visible in the ears. This species has a short snout and hairs projecting form the upper surface of the head (Grzimek, 1990). The tail of M. schreibersi is completely enclosed within the interfemoral membrane and is proportionately longer than in many other bats of the same size (Nowak, 1997).

These bats reach sexual maturity at the age of one year (Grzimek, 1990). In a study in eastern Australia by Richardson (1977) they were found to be monestrous. Mating took place in the fall (late May to early June), with fertilization and development to the blastocyst stage immediately following. Implantation was delayed until August and births occurred in December. Each female usually has one offspring (Nowak, 1997).

The young are weaned at from 7 to 9 weeks of age. After the young are weaned females are once again ready for breeding (Grzimek, 1990; Nowak, 1997).

Miniopterus schreibersi is nocturnal. These bats spend the day in their roosts and come out just after sunset. They spend most of the night foraging and return to their caves the next morning (Grzimek, 1990). Their flight has been described as rapid and jerky (Nowak, 1997).

This species may also be highly gregarious. In Africa, a study by Van der Merwe (1975) found seasonal migrations. Pregnant females from wintering caves in the southern Transvaal moved to maternity caves in the north from late winter to late spring. In late summer the females and the weaned young moved back to the south. In one maternity cave, the juveniles alone numbered 110,000. In this study and in others from Asia, it was shown that young are not carried by the mother but are deposited in a large communal roosting group. Males were found to leave the colony by December when the young were born (Nowak, 1997).

Miniopterus schreibersi feeds on small beetles and insects. Feeding usually occurs at heights of 10 to 20 meters (Norak, 1997; Grzimek, 1990). Insects are caught by using echolocation.

Bats can be extremely benefitial to humans. They eat many of the insects and pests that plague farmers and gardeners. This helps keep insects from over populating an area and it reduces the amount damage done to crops by these insects.

Miniopterus schreibersi is on the IUCN red list for low risk, near threatened species. However, it is not on the CITES or U.S. ESA lists.

This species is mainly endangered in western Europe but possibly through out the world. Colonies that had contained thousands of individuals have disappeared. Miniopterus schreibersi is especially sensitive to disturbances and may be locally eradicated if disturbed by human workers or tourists (Nowak, 1997). Destruction of habitat is a serious threat to these animals.