Painted bat

The painted bat (Kerivoula picta) is a species of vesper bat in the family Vespertilionidae.

Contents

• Painted bat mammal
• Echolocation
• References

It is found in Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. It is found in arid woodland.

The body and tail are the same length. The body length is 3 to 5.5 cm. The tail length is 3 to 5.5 cm as well. The wingspan is 18–30 cm. Weight is about 5g.

Small groups of these animals are often found in unusual roosting sites such as in the suspended nests of weaver finches and sunbirds, banana tree leaves, or under the eaves of huts. The bright and broken coloration of these bats may be a form of camouflage to protect them while they roost in vulnerable sites. Although nothing is known of their reproductive habits, Painted bats have nuclear family units - that is, a mother, a father, and young. Hunting flights last around 1–2 hours.

Besides the coloring it is otherwise a fairly normal microbat that uses sonar to catch insects at night.

They live in Southern and eastern India to southern China. They are rare and live in groups of only 2–6.

Kerivoula picta is bright orange or scarlet, with black wings and orange along the fingers. As in other species of Kerivoula, K. picta possesses long, wooly, rather curly hair, a small, fragile form, large funnel-shaped ears and 38 teeth. Ears are naked. Tragus is long, narrow, and transparent. Muzzle very hairy. Older males are brighter than females.