Rhinolophidae

Rhinolophidae [‚rīn·ə′läf·ə‚dē]

(vertebrate zoology)

The horseshoe bats, a family of insect-eating chiropterans widely distributed in the Eastern Hemisphere and distinguished by extremely complex, horseshoe-shaped nose leaves.

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Rhinolophidae 

(horseshoe bats), a family of mammals of the suborder Microchiroptera. Horseshoe bats have leathery formations of skin around the nostrils, which are located at the end of the snout. A tragus is absent.

There are approximately 50 species of horseshoe bats, distributed in the tropical, subtropical, and temperate latitudes of the eastern hemisphere. Six species are found in the southern European USSR, the Caucasus, and Middle Asia. The bats live in caves or, less frequently, in man-made structures. They often form large colonies. When at rest, the bats wrap their wings around their body, forming somewhat of a cape. There is one young per birth. Horseshoe bats feed primarily on moths.