Painted bat

Painted Bat
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 2.3)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Chiroptera
Family:	Vespertilionidae
Genus:	Kerivoula
Species:	K. picta
Binomial name
Kerivoula picta (Pallas, 1767)

The Painted Bat (Kerivoula picta) is a species of vesper bat in the Vespertilionidae family.

It is found in Brunei, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. It is found in arid woodland.

The body and tail are the same length. The body length is 3 to 5.5 cm. The tail length is 3 to 5.5 cm as well. The wingspan is 18-30 cm in length.

Small groups of these animals are often found in the most unlikely roosts such as in the suspended nests of weaver finches and sunbirds or under the eaves of African huts. Doubtless the bright and broken coloration of these bats is a form of camouflage to protect them whily they roost in vulnerable sites. Nothing is known of their reproductive habits.

They live in Southern and eastern India to southern China. They are rare and live in groups of only 2 - 6

Colors for Kerivoula picta are bright orange or scarlet, with black wings and orange along the fingers. As in other forms of Kerivoula, K. picta possesses long, wooly, rather curly hair, a small, fragile form, large funnel-shaped ears and 38 teeth.

References

• Chiroptera Specialist Group 1996. Kerivoula picta. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Downloaded on 19 July 2007.