Black-bearded tomb bat

black-bearded tomb bat
250 px
Black-bearded tomb bat (Taphozous melanopogon), male with prominent black beard
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Emballonuridae
Genus:	Taphozous
Species:	T. melanopogon
Binomial name
Taphozous melanopogon Temminck, 1841
Black-bearded Tomb Bat range
Synonyms
Taphozous solifer Hollister, 1913

The black-bearded tomb bat (Taphozous melanopogon) is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae. It is found in South and South East Asia across the territories of Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam.

Description

Head and body length is 9–10 cm. Forearm 6 cm. Wingspan 37–40 cm.

Tip of the tail is conspicuous and free. Grayish brown above with a grizzled appearance. Lighter on the shoulders, hind neck, and underside. Fur short and dense. Body appears rather flattened above and below. Hairy chin. In older males, at about 5–6 months, a blackish beard can be seen. Claws purplish with whitish tip. Young are grayer and darker. No gular sacs as in Taphozous longimanus. It has only small pores.

Culture

Known as රැවුල කලු කෙපුලුම් වවුලා in Sinhala, which means same as English word.

See also

• List of mammals in Hong Kong

References

• Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. Taphozous melanopogon. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 10 July 2007.