The type locality of R. capensis is the Cape of Good Hope in the Province of South Africa. It was discovered in 1823. It has one synonym: R. auritus.
Cape horseshoe bats are nocturnal and roost in dark caves. They use echolocation to navigate and locate prey. They may also use some social vocalizations, although this is not well documented. Like most mammals, they use chemical cues to communicate reproductive state and as a way of recognizing individuals, such as mothers recognizing their young.
Communication Channels: acoustic ; chemical
Other Communication Modes: scent marks ; vibrations
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; ultrasound ; echolocation ; chemical
Cape horseshoe bats are considered vulnerable by the IUCN because of their limited distribution and specialized roosting requirements.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Although there is no documented negative effect on humans, R. capensis living near urban areas are probably seen as nuisances if they enter human structures. Like other mammal species, Cape horseshoe bats can carry and transmit diseases that affect humans, such as rabies.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (carries human disease)
Cape horseshoe bats are efficient at reducing insect populations that may be pests to humans.
Positive Impacts: controls pest population
Cape horseshoe bats, like most insectivorous bat species, exert strong influence on insect populations. They are also prey for nocturnal raptors and some other predators.
Ecosystem Impact: keystone species
Cape horseshoe bats are insectivores with a high percentage of their diet consisting of beetles. They hunt at night and catch insects in mid flight using their uropatagium to catch prey items. Cape horseshoe bats have short, broad wings that give them the ability to maneuver through dense foliage in flight. They use high echolocation frequencies and fly slowly over dense vegetation to pick off insect prey. Cape horseshoe bats will glean prey and may also hunt from perches.
Animal Foods: insects
Primary Diet: carnivore (Insectivore )
The geographic range of Cape horseshoe bats (Rinolophus capensis), includes only the very southern portions of the Ethiopian zoogeographic region. Cape horseshoe bats have a very small distribution and are an endemic species of the Cape Province of Southern Africa. They may also appear in coastal areas of Zimbabwe and Mozambique. They are uncommon on the eastern shores of South Africa.
Biogeographic Regions: ethiopian (Native )
Cape horseshoe bats can be found in tropical coastal habitats of South Africa with underground caves or abandoned mines for roosting.
Habitat Regions: tropical ; terrestrial
Aquatic Biomes: coastal
Other Habitat Features: caves
There is no good documentation on the life expectancy of R. capensis. Longevity in other Rhinolophus species is generally 4 to 7 years.
Cape horseshoe bats are small to medium size bats. Their head and body are typically 23 to 24 mm; their tail is 9 to 13 mm in length, and their forearms are 48 to 52 mm. They have a wingspan of 47 to 52 cm. There is no recorded weight for R. capensis but most other species of Rhinolophus weigh 16.5 to 28 g.
Their coloration is a dark brown with the bases of their hair typically being slightly lighter in color. Their undersides have a light gray appearance and their wings are a dark brown color.
Cape horseshoe bats, like other horseshoe bat species, have unique nose leaf structures used in echolocation. Their common name is derived from these horseshoe shaped nose leaf structures. Their nose leaves help in echolocation and also shield the ears from the direct impulses coming back to them from an object in front of them. Their ears are very large and they have short legs that will not support movement on the ground.
Range mass: 16.5 to 28 g.
Range length: 32 to 37 mm.
Range wingspan: 47 to 52 cm.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; heterothermic ; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Predators of Rhinolophus capensis have not been documented. Because they are nocturnal and fly, their most likely predators will be nocturnal raptors, such as owls. Cave dwelling carnivores could also prey on R. capensis when roosting.
Rhinolophus capensis are one of the many bat species that use delayed fertilization. Sperm storage in R. capensis is in the male of the species. Typically, spermatogenesis occurs during the spring and early fall months, which in South Africa is between October and May. Sperm are released into the cauda epididymis in April and May. Sperm are then stored in the cauda epididymis during the winter months. During April and May females are in oestrus. Oestrus is the point in the menstrual cycle of female mammals when they typically would be ovulating and when males would copulate with them. In R. capensis, however, copulation and ovulation are put off until August and September (the end of winter hibernation in South Africa). Males mate with as many females as they can in their winter roosts.
Mating System: polygynous
Gestation is about 4 months long at which point a single young is born. Young R. capensis will stay with their mother for about 6 to 8 weeks. At this point they are weaned and they will be left to fend for themselves. Young often stay at the breeding site for quite a while after they are left by their mothers.
Breeding interval: Cape horseshoe bats mate once every year.
Breeding season: Mating occurs in August and September.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 1.
Range gestation period: 3 to 4 months.
Range weaning age: 6 to 8 weeks.
Range time to independence: 6 to 8 weeks.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 1 years.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 1 years.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; induced ovulation ; viviparous ; delayed fertilization
Cape horseshoe bat females care for their young after birth, males do not help care for young. Females nurse and protect their young until they are weaned.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The Cape horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus capensis) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is endemic to South Africa, and is potentially threatened by habitat loss and disturbance of its roosting sites, although it is present in large enough numbers to be considered of least concern by the IUCN.[1]
It is a member of the Rhinolophus capensis species group, together with the Bushveld, Dent's and Swinny's horseshoe bats, and is monotypic, with no subspecies.[2]
The Cape horseshoe bat is a typically sized member of its family, with a head-body length of 5.8 to 6.2 centimetres (2.3 to 2.4 in) and a tail 2.4 to 3.2 centimetres (0.94 to 1.26 in) long. They weigh between 10 and 16 grams (0.35 and 0.56 oz). The fur is dark or pale brown over most of the body, with paler, fawn-grey, underparts. The ears are large and somewhat rounded, and are capable of independent movement. The nose-leaf is horseshoe-shaped, and does not reach the upper parts of the muzzle. A rounded, sparsely-haired, process runs from the upper mid-surface of the nose-leaf to a projecting spear-shaped lancet above and between the eyes.[2]
The wings have a low wing loading and a high aspect ratio, indicating that the bat is capable of only slow flight, but is highly manoeuvrable in the air. This allows it to forage effectively among dense vegetation.[2][3]
Cape horseshoe bats are endemic to Cape Province in South Africa, where they inhabit shrubby coastal environments. They are nocturnal, spending the day roosting in large colonies in coastal caves or mine adits. They are often found together with other species of bat, including Geoffroy's horseshoe bat and Schreibers' long-fingered bat. They are ambush hunters, hiding among vegetation and preying mainly on beetles and moths. Their echolocation calls are relatively long, lasting from 28 to 42 milliseconds, with only short pauses between pulses. The peak frequency varies between different individuals, ranging from 82 to 86 kHz. This type of call enables them to quickly locate rapidly moving insects in cluttered environments with plentiful vegetation.[2]
The breeding season lasts from August to September, shortly after the bats awake from winter hibernation. However, spermatogenesis in the males occurs between October and May, with the sperm being stored in the epididymis until the start of the breeding season.[4] Gestation lasts three or four months, so that the mother gives birth to a single young in November or December, shortly before the rainy season, when insects are at their most abundant.[5] The young are weaned by the end of January, and reach sexual maturity in their second year.[4]
The Cape horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus capensis) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is endemic to South Africa, and is potentially threatened by habitat loss and disturbance of its roosting sites, although it is present in large enough numbers to be considered of least concern by the IUCN.
It is a member of the Rhinolophus capensis species group, together with the Bushveld, Dent's and Swinny's horseshoe bats, and is monotypic, with no subspecies.
