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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing horseshoe bats. There are more than 70 described horseshoe bat species living from Africa, Europe, Asia, parts of Australia and many Pacific islands. This is one of the largest living bat genera of the modern world. They get their common name because, although there are many species, they all share the commonality of a horseshoe shaped part of their nose. These are leaf-nosed bats with highly developed nostrils that they use for echolocation.

Some bats use their mouth to echolocate, but not horseshoe bats. Instead, they have a highly developed echolocation sense that allows them to send and receive signals at the same time, ultimately providing them the opportunity to locate insects with pinpoint accuracy even in cluttered environments such as forests. These bats can hunt either in a dense grove of trees or the open air. Horseshoe bats take prey both from a perch and the skies. Sometimes they sit on a branch and call to find something to eat, but other times they fly through the air and capture food while in flight. This is known as aerial hawking. Horseshoe bats eat flying arthropods such as beetles and moths.

Another reason these mammals can tolerate dense forest environments is because their body is shaped to accommodate speedy maneuvers. They have short, rounded wings that give them an edge over other bat species in aerodynamics. Horseshoe bats are brown to red in color, sometimes getting lighter with age. They also have big, moveable ears and a tail. In size they range from just a few grams in weight to about an ounce (28 g) at max size.

Horseshoe bats are primarily cave roosters, preferring the cool, humid air found in this dark habitat. It's not uncommon for them to form family groups or even larger colonies, however they don't typically stay within touch contact of one another. They like their space. They can also be found in other hollows such as tree cavities and human-made structures such as barns. Disruption and destruction of their preferred cave habitats could threaten their survival.

The reproductive logistics of all the horseshoe bat species is unknown. Few have been thoroughly studied in this regard. Those in the temperate parts of their range hibernate during the winter and females are typically pregnant during this time having mated in the fall. When they stir from their slumber in the spring, their offspring develop and the mother bats give birth when food is in abundance. Like other bat species, horseshoe bats can live to be decades old.

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