habitat_narrative
Terrestrial
A savannah species with wide habitat tolerance, the Egyptian Slit-faced Bat occurs in moist and dry savannah, ranging into desert, arid rocky areas, and riparian strips. It appears to occur throughout the savannah and Karoo biomes, but avoids open grasslands (Monadjem et al. 2010), possibly because it needs tree cover. For example, it forages by flying low above the ground, listening for prey scurrying on the surface, which may make it susceptible to predation by owls, hence the requirement for tree cover (Photo 1) (Monadjem et al. 2010).This is essentially a cave-roosting species but it may also roost during the day in mine adits, Aardvark (Orycteropus afer) holes, rock crevices, culverts under roads, roofs and hollow trees, typically in open savannah woodland (Smithers and Lobao-Tello 1976; Taylor 1998). It is a clutter forager and its insectivorous diet varies seasonally, with Orthoptera, Coleoptera and Lepidoptera predominating (Monadjem et al. 2010). Arachnids, amphibians, fish and vegetative matter may also form small proportions of its diet (Skinner and Chimimba 2005).
This gregarious species roosts in colonies ranging in size of up to a few hundred individuals, which are loosely packed and in scattered groups (Skinner and Chimimba 2005). It has also been recorded roosting alongside other species, such as Miniopterus schreibersii, Hipposideros caffer and Rhinolophus simulator (Skinner and Chimimba 2005). Although other species are known to hover during copulation, in N. thebaica copulation takes place in flight (Lindeque 1987). In KwaZulu-Natal, studies showed that young are born in November following a five-month gestation period, and lactation was found to last two months (Bernard 1982). In Swaziland, individuals travel an average of 1.1 km between day roosts and foraging areas where foraging home ranges are relatively small (12.9 ha) and overlap significantly with those of neighbouring bats (Monadjem et al. 2009). Records show that this species cannot be kept in captivity for longer than three days (Fenton et al. 1983).
Ecosystem and cultural services: As this species is insectivorous, it may contribute to controlling insect populations (Boyles et al. 2011; Kunz et al. 2011). Bats often prey on the insect species that destroy crops (Boyles et al. 2011; Kunz et al. 2011). Ensuring a healthy population of insectivorous bats can thus result in a decrease in the use of pesticides.
