Check for bat ID’s Borneo

Hi people,

In May 2017 I had two weeks in Sabah, Borneo, to look mainly for birds. Don’t judge me…

I was wondering if people could confirm the ID’s on these bat species:

Gomantong Caves, Creagh’s Horseshoe Bat?

Creagh's Horseshoe Bat

Danum Valley, under a wooden house next to a river, Ridley’s Myotis?

Ridley's Myotis

Danum Valley, in the hollow trunk of a large fallen tree, Lesser Woolly Horsehoe Bat?

Lesser Woolly Horseshoe Bat

Best regards,

Pieter de Groot Boersma

2 Comments

  • Manuel Ruedi

    Dear Pieter,
    The frist and last bats on the pictures are not Rhinolophus, but Hipposideros (round leaf bats), but without any clue regarding their size, it is impossible to give ID with some sort of confidence, as is usual in such biodiverse regions as Borneo. The second picture is the same, yes, most probably a Myotis, but it looks more like M. ater or muricola, than the tiny ridely, but really impossible to give more pricie ID without measuring at least forarm, etc.
    Many of previous postings give names to pictured bats, giving a false idea that these diverse mammals are easy to ID on picutres. I am try since over 30 years to sort out the names of the thousands of bats I have in hands, but still struggle…
    Good luck
    Manuel

  • Paul

    I just took a picture of a bat in Kuching, Sarawak that appears to be sleeping on my shirt (it is hanging outside to dry – the shirt not the bat that is). It looks to me very like your first photo, but I am not sure if I can upload mine for you to see.

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