Order Chiroptera Genus Rhinopoma Higher classification Mouse-tailed bat | Phylum Chordata Family Rhinopomatidae Scientific name Rhinopoma microphyllum Rank Species | |
 | ||
Similar Mouse‑tailed bat, Lesser mouse‑tailed bat, Trident bat, Small mouse‑tailed bat, Naked‑rumped tomb bat | ||
The greater mouse-tailed bat (Rhinopoma microphyllum) 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.
According to a recent research published in Royal Society of London, the species Rhinopoma microphyllum is found to be hibernating at the unusually warm and constant temperature of 68 °F in caves in Israel's Great Rift Valley. From October to February, these bats were discovered semi-conscious, breathing only once every 15–30 minutes, with extremely low energy expenditures.
Greater mouse tailed bat
