خفاش إينس

Nocturnal mammal, beginning activity at sunset. Roosts individually or in small groups. Insectivorous, feeding on beetles and moths clustered around lamps. Botta’s serotine has strong and audible wing beats and can fly at high altitude. Botta’s serotine uses echolocation (at a frequency-modulated - constant-frequency or quasi-constant-frequency calls with an end-frequency of 27 to 32 kHz) to detect prey. Little information available on the breeding biology of Botta’s serotine except that the breeding season occurs in January and female gives birth of two young in May once year. Botta’s serotine can live up to 12 years.

Botta’s serotine bat is one of the largest Eptesicus species. This bat varies in size and coloration according to its habitat. Fur short, white on the underparts while on the upperparts dense and usually long with gray hairs at the base and buff-tipped. Hairless skin extending from the snout to the eyes. Muzzle broad. Tail tip emerges from flight membrane by about 3.5 mm. Ears short with elongated tragus. The hind margin of the ear banded with a narrow furrow.

Narrow (Cairo, Giza, South Sinai). Possibly the Cairo (1885) but certainly the Giza (1948, 1962) records are from Abu Rawash and hence could have been obtained from the animal collectors based there, and be from anywhere; thus it is possible that in Egypt this species is restricted to South Sinai.

Botta’s serotine inhabits in arid areas or in caves around fields and fruit gardens, but not found in true desert.

Body length 54 mm, forearm 40.3–42.3 mm, 5th digit ca.50 mm, 3rd digit ca. 65 mm.

Native, resident.