Rhinolophus ferrumequinum
Introduction
The horseshoe bats can be distinguished from other British bats by the presence of a complex horseshoe-shaped nose leaf which is related to their particular type of echolocation system. When roosting they hang free with the wings more or less enfolding their body.
The greater horseshoe bat is one of our largest bat species, the size of a small pear. It requires a network of cattle-grazed pasture, mature hedgerows, woodland edge and species-rich grassland to hunt its insect prey.
Head & body length:
Forearm length:
Wingspan:
Weight:
Average colony size:
Lifespan:
Colour:
Adults buff-brown, juveniles, greyish.
Conservation Status
One of the UK’s rarest bat species.
Roost sites
Originally in caves but now mostly in old buildings
Diet
chafers, dung beetles, noctuid moths, craneflies, caddis flies
Echolocation
best heard at 82khz