Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
greater horseshoe bat

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum are found in northern India, south to northwestern Africa and throughout temperate Eurasia including Great Britain and Japan

(Koopman, 1994). They are also found throughout Turkey, Israel and Jordan (DeBlase, 1980)

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum prefer to dwell in karst caves and cave-like spaces under boulders year-round (DeBlase, 1980). In the winter, R. ferrumequinum roost in caves warmer then 7-10 degrees Celsius. This species prefers warmer regions, which have water, shrubs and trees (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997).

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum is the largest horseshoe bat in Europe (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997). Its most distinctive feature is the upper saddle process or noseleaf, the upper part of which is pointed while the lower part is horseshoe shaped (Nowak, 1994). Tooth and bone structures distinguish R. ferrumequinum from other rhinolophids. The first premolar on the upper jaw protrudes from the row of teeth. Often this premolar is very small or non-existent. The third and fourth metacarpal bones in the wings are shorter than those of its relatives (Koopman, 1994). The tragus is absent (Simmons and Conway, 1997). The length of the head and body ranges from 57 to 71mm, the tail length ranges from 35 to 43 mm and the forearm from 54 to 61 mm. The wing span ranges from 350 to 400 mm, and the weight from 17 to 34 grams. The Greater horseshoe bat can also be identified by its color. The back is brownish gray with a slight tint of red, while the underside is a lighter gray color. The membrane that connects the forearm and tail is brownish gray. Young R. ferrumequinum are uniformly gray. (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997)

Lifespan/ Longevity: The oldest recorded age of an R. ferrumequinum is 30 years (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997)

When R. ferrumequinum hibernate, they wrap themselves in their wing membranes and hang upside down from the roof of their cave. Hibernation takes place from October until April (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997) with bats sleeping in clusters rather than singly (McNab, 1982). During hibernation, R. ferrumequinum irregularly awake (Erkert, 1982).

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum hunt at nightfall. This species is an insectivore and preys primarily on larger insects such as Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) and Coleoptera (beetles) (Jones, 1990). In order to obtain their prey, hunting bats fly close to the ground surface (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997). Rhinolophus ferrumequinum does not hunt in the winter unless the air temperature is warm enough for insect flight, and as a result they hunt less during colder and inclement weather (Racey, 1982). Like other microchiropteran bat species, R. ferrumequinum use echolocation to locate their prey. This species emits a call consisting of short blasts at a low frequency (77-81 kHz) (Schober and Grimmberger, 1997). The call is emitted from the nose, not the mouth (Nowak, 1994).

Rhinolophus ferrumequinum are threatened in western Germany and Austria. Because R. ferrumequinum are sensitive to human disturbances, a special effort has to be made to protect the roosts and to lower the amount of insecticides used on crops in western Germany and Austria. The insecticides kill R. ferrumequinum prey, thus destroying their only food source (Nowak, 1994), as well as harming the bats themselves

There are six subspecies of R. ferrumequinum: R.f. ferrumequinum, R.f. creticus, R.f. proximus, R.f. tragatus, and R.f. nippon. They are found in Europe and northwestern Africa, Crete, southwestern Asia to Kashmir, northern India and southwestern China, and northern and central China, Korea and Japan, respectively (Koopman, 1994).