Common Sheathtail Bat

Family: Emballonuridae
Scientific name: Taphozous georgianus

Where they roost:
In caves, old mines and cracks in rocks. They sometimes roost together in small groups but usually hang more than 50 centimetres away from each other.

What they eat:
Mainly on beetles but also other insects. They hunt alone, flying slowly in a straight line while following a grid pattern over the feeding ground. They feed over bushes and water catching and eating insects while flying.

Conservation threats:
Vulnerable to disturbance from human visitors to cave roosts, destruction of caves by mining, and loss of feeding habitat by clearing and land degradation from agriculture.

Other information:
They often rest on rocks during the night's feeding, next to cracks they will squeeze into if disturbed.

Photo © GB Baker/Nature Focus