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Text and photos by Nick Baker, unless credited to others.
Copyright © Ecology Asia 2025

 
     
 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

   
   
 
Great Woolly Horseshoe Bat 
-  Rhinolophus morio
   
   

Order : CHIROPTERA
Family : Rhinolophidae
Species : Rhinolophus morio

Forearm Length : up to 6.9 cm
Weight : up to 39 grams

Rhinolophus morio (Great Woolly Horseshoe Bat, Malaysian Woolly Horseshoe Bat) is one of the largest known species of horseshoe bat. It occurs in lowland primary forest and, under the right conditions, in disturbed secondary forest. It roosts alone or in pairs in tree hollows or rock shelters.

It was formerly considered a subspecies of Rhinolophus luctus but is generally now treated as a distinct species after a detailed study (Volleth et al, 2015). It occurs in Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore and northern Sumatra.

It was first described in 1842 in Singapore. It was last documented in Singapore in by Pottie et al (2005); distinctive constant-frequency (CF) echolocation calls of ~42 kHz were detected at a number of locales.

This species is a perch-hunter; it typically suspends itself from a twig or small branch whilst waiting for insects, such as moths and beetles, to fly past upon which it will launch itself to capture its prey. A similar hunting mode is also used by some of its closest relatives, for example the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat.

This bat can be identified in the field by its relatively large size in comparison to other horseshoe bats, and its long, grey-brown to dark grey, woolly fur (the tips of which are typically pale which gives a frosted effect). Closer inspection may reveal a complex noseleaf that is dark in colour, with 'lateral lappets' on each side of the sella (the structure in the middle of the noseleaf). 


Fig 1 : Example perched near a lowland forest stream on the island of Tioman, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia; this bat was probably perch-hunting and waiting for flying insects to come within range. Photo thanks to Serin Subaraj.

Fig 2 : Close-up of the structures which comprise the noseleaf including, in the centre, the connecting process and sella, and at the bottom the distinctive, large horseshoe. Photo thanks to Serin Subaraj.

Fig 3 : Intact, lowland primary forest still exists on Tioman Island inland from a zone of disturbed, coastal forest; this habitat supports a great diversity of vertebrates, including around 20 species of bat (Lim et al, 1999).


References :

Kingston, T., Lim B.L., Zubaid, A., 2006. Bats of Krau Wildlife Reserve. Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Lim, B. L., Lim, K. K. P., & Yong, H. S. (1999). The terrestrial mammals of Pulau Tioman, Peninsular Malaysia, with a catalogue of specimens at the Raffles Museum, National University of Singapore. Raffles Bulletin of Zoology, Supplement No. 6, 101-123.

Phillipps Q. & Phillipps K. (2016). Phillipps’ Field Guide to the Mammals of Borneo and Their Ecology: Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, and Kalimantan. Second Edition. John Beaufoy Publishing. 400 pp.

Pottie, S. A., Lane, D. J. W., Kingston, T., & Lee, B. P. Y-H. (2005). The microchiropteran bat fauna of Singapore. Acta Chiropterologica, 7(2), 237-247.

Volleth, M., Loidl, J., Mayer, F., Yong, H. S., Müller, S., & Heller, K. G. (2015). Surprising genetic diversity in Rhinolophus luctus (Chiroptera: Rhinolophidae) from Peninsular Malaysia: description of a new species based on genetic and morphological characters. Acta Chiropterologica, 17(1), 1-20.

Fig 1
     

©  Serin Subaraj

Fig 2
 

©  Serin Subaraj
 


Fig 3