Nycteris thebaica
Silhouette: T. Michael Keesey · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~30%
The Egyptian slit-faced bat (Nycteris thebaica) is a species of slit-faced bat broadly distributed throughout Africa and the Middle East. It is a species of microbat in the family Nycteridae. Six subspecies are known. The Egyptian slit-faced bat gets its name from a deep slit that runs from the base of the ears to the nostrils, between the nose leaves. The bats typically weigh 6.5–9.7 g (0.23–0.34 oz), with females weighing up to 11.5 g (0.41 oz). The wings are broad, with a wingspan of 283 mm (11.1 in) and a low aspect ratio, allowing for high maneuverability and the ability to hover close to the ground.
The dorsal surface is dusky to reddish brown, while the underside is white to whitish gray. This bat has lighter fur than other members of the nycterid family. It has a long tail, reaching to 61 mm (2.4 in). This species is able to thrive in a variety of tropical and temperate habitats throughout Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. A specimen of an Egyptian silt-faced bat was found on the island of Corfu, Greece; making it the first record of the animal in Europe. It can live in widely diverse habitats, including forests, deserts, savannas... Wikipedia →
Recording0:16
South Africa · 2024
© Marion Maclean · iNaturalist · CC BY-NC 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
More parks will be added in future updates.
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Egyptian Slit-faced Bat sighting in Kruger National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 54th most-seen of the 60 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February, May–June and October
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Egyptian Slit-faced Bat in Kruger National Park on a given day, against under 5% in March–April, July–September and November–January, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Egyptian Slit-faced Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about half of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
Only Kruger National Park, in our data
Kruger National Park is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Egyptian Slit-faced Bat sightings: under 5% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Egyptian Slit-faced Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Kruger National Park (8 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
