Mauritian tomb bat: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the Mauritian tomb bat lives – recorded in 7 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Taphozous mauritianus
Group	Bats
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	7 countries
Continents	Africa
Class	Mammal
Order	Chiroptera
Family	Emballonuridae

Where does the Mauritian tomb bat live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the Mauritian tomb bat in 7 countries and territories across Africa.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

Is the Mauritian tomb bat endangered?

The Mauritian tomb bat’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the Mauritian tomb bat?

The Mauritian tomb bat (Taphozous mauritianus) is a mammal in the order Chiroptera and the family Emballonuridae, genus Taphozous. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the Mauritian tomb bat

The Mauritian tomb bat (Taphozous mauritianus) is a species of sac-winged bat in the family Emballonuridae that is found in central and southern Africa and Madagascar. It was first described in 1818 by Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, and is characterized by an all-white ventral surface, grizzled dorsal coloration, and conical face. It has exceptionally good eyesight, a trait which is common in old world bats and enables it to find roosting locations. It has adapted itself to a wide range of habitats including subarid scrub to semi-tropical savanna and can be found throughout much of Africa south of the Sahara, including many of the surrounding islands. They often seek out refuge in cool dry areas. Mauritian tomb bats help control pest populations, including insects that carry human diseases. These bats tend to be nocturnal hunters and their normal prey consists of moths, butterflies, and termites. Not prone to large-scale roosting, T. mauritianus is most often spotted on the sides of buildings or on the trunks of trees in groups of around five individuals. They breed on average once or twice a year and rear usually one pup, though twins are occasionally reported. They usually deposit their hungry offspring in areas where they can feed voraciously, most often in berry bushes. This species is listed as least concern on the IUCN Red List due their wide distribution and stable population.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Mauritian tomb bat (revision 1357391762), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q76818 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).