Large-eared Horseshoe Bat, Greater Large-eared Horseshoe Bat  |  

The Greater Large-eared Horseshoe Bat has enormous ears and nose-leaf. The fur is long, fine, grey-brown and peppered with white hairs. The fur on the belly is paler in colour. In some individuals, the skin of the nose-leaf, anus and penis or pubic false teats is bright yellow, but the most common colour is greyish. Sexes are similar in appearance and measurements. The fur colour of this species is also very similar to the Lesser Large-eared Horseshoe Bat and some individuals of this latter form may also have yellow skin. The forearm length of the Greater Large-eared Horseshoe Bat ranges from 51.6 mm to 59.0 mm, ear length 29.0 mm to 33.3 mm and weight 10.0 g to 16.2 g. However, there is a cline in size, with the smallest individuals occurring in the southern part of their range. Where it overlaps in range with the Lesser Large-eared Horseshoe Bat in the northern areas of Cape York, the Greater Large-eared Horseshoe Bat is significantly larger and heavier, with the forearm 56.0 mm to 59.0 mm, ear length 32.1 mm to 33.3 mm and weight 11.5 g to 16.2 g. In contrast, in this area of sympatry (overlapping distribution), the Lesser Large-eared Horseshoe Bat has a forearm of 50.0 mm to 53.5 mm, ear length 25.2 mm to 27.3 mm and weight 8.3 g to 9.9 g. The Greater Large-eared Horseshoe Bat can also be distinguished from the Eastern Horseshoe Bat, Rhinolophus megaphyllus, by its much longer forearm length and larger ears. The echolocation calls of the Greater Large-Eared Horseshoe Bat are the lowest of any rhinolophid bat, ranging between 28 kHz and 34 kHz (note that call frequency was mixed up between large and small forms in Churchill 1998 and Pavey 2002; but is corrected and updated in Churchill 2009 and Pavey & Kutt 2008). In contrast, the Lesser Large-eared Horseshoe Bat emits calls around 40 kHz and the calls of the Eastern Horseshoe Bat range between 66 kHz to 72 kHz .