Trefoil Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus trifoliatus) lives in tropical rainforest across Southeast Asia. It feeds on insects and spiders. Its conservation status is Near Threatened.
Fascinating facts about the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat
- It hides beneath exposed leaves. Researchers have observed individuals roosting underneath exposed leaves, suggesting a solitary lifestyle. The bat's fluffy, pale grey fur may act like a green-tinted cloak when sunlight filters through the leaf, a camouflage trick shared with the Honduran white bat.
- It lives across seven countries, from Brunei to Thailand, weaving a trans-national thread through Southeast Asia's forests. It is found in Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand, illustrating a distribution that spans both mainland and island ecosystems.
- It measures just 47-52 mm from wrist to elbow, yet weighs only 10.5-18 g. The forearm length of 47-52 mm (1.9-2.0 in) and weight of 10.5-18 g (0.37-0.63 oz).
- It climbs up to 1,800 metres above sea level in Borneo, thriving even in mangrove swamps. In Borneo locally common up to 1,800m, including mangroves, shows the bat's ability to occupy a wide elevational range and tolerate salty coastal forests.
- The bat's pale grey fur and yellow nose-leaf blend with sun-dappled leaves, likely acting as camouflage that tricks predators into seeing a green leaf instead of a mammal. This visual trick mirrors the Honduran white bat's strategy, illustrating convergent evolution where unrelated species develop similar hide-outs.
Sources
Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.
At a glance
RangeSoutheast Asia
HabitatTropical rainforest
DietInsects and spiders
About the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat
In the velvety darkness of Southeast Asia's tropical forests, the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat navigates with eerie precision, its leathery wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm as it pursues the faint echoes of insect prey. With its peculiar, triple-lobed noseleaf, this peculiar creature emits a high-pitched call, a piercing whistle that shatters the stillness, as it flits through the understorey with an uncanny agility. As it dances on the edge of our perception, the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat remains an enigmatic figure, a whispered secret of the forest night.
Hear the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat, and 4,400+ more
Real recorded sounds, 11 nature games and a free Daily 5, 1v1 quiz duels, conservation wins and a safe Kids mode. Free on Feravox.
