Horseshoe bat
Horseshoe bat.Horseshoe bats are a family of more than 100 bat species. They are found throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, and Oceania. While many are brown, some species have black, reddish, or orange fur. They are small, weighing less than 30 g (1.1 oz), and are named after the horseshoe-shaped flap of skin on their noses, which helps them echolocate. They use echolocation to navigate and to forage for their prey of insects and spiders, maneuvering more slowly in flight than most bats. In colder regions, they hibernate during the winter months. Mating may occur in the spring or fall depending on the species, with gestation lasting about seven weeks before a single offspring is born. Typical lifespans are around six or seven years, though they can be as long as thirty years for some individuals. Dozens of SARS-related coronaviruses have been documented in horseshoe bats, which are hunted for food in parts of sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia.