Trident Leaf- nosed Bat

Habitat:

This is a colonial bat species, inhabiting caverns and ruined or empty buildings such as forts. Their flight is low and swift, like a large butterfly, and they can make rapid changes of direction.

Habits:

At night, they flit around farms and gardens in pursuit of flying insect prey. They can also snatch insects off the ground. The female gives birth to one baby at a time after a gestation of about ten weeks.

Distribution:

In Qatar, a colony of around 60 bats was observed in a windowless room in a fort in the north west of the country, where they were hanging from the mangrove roof poles. However the colony was not there on a later visit.

Description:

Length: 6.1-9.0 cm, Tail length: 1.6-2.9 cm, Forearm length: 4.3 -5.6 cm

This is a small Leaf-Nosed Bat of fairly light build. The tail reaches the level of the feet and the tip protrudes 3-5 mm from the tail membrane. The colour is variable. Some individuals are light orange-brown on the back and belly. Others are pale greyish-brown or greyish-pink. In Qatar it appears that the grey variant predominates. The nose has a three projections (the nose ‘leaf’), hence the common name.