Rhinolophus trifoliatus
Silhouette: Margot Michaud · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~30% in a week ~50%
The trefoil horseshoe bat (Rhinolophus trifoliatus) is a species of bat in the family Rhinolophidae. It is found in Brunei, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, and Thailand. In Borneo locally common up to 1,800m, including mangroves.
Rhinolophus trifoliatus is a medium-sized horseshoe bat with a forearm length of 47–52 mm (1.9–2.0 in) and weight of 10.5–18 g (0.37–0.63 oz). This bat has fluffy, pale grey fur, with a yellow nose-leaf and ear membranes.
R. trifoliatus is caught in the understory of primary and secondary rainforest. This species is thought to be solitary, with individuals observed roosting underneath exposed leaves. As with the neotropical Honduran white bat it is thought that their pale fur may be an adaptation to make them camouflaged when roosting, as sunlight filtering through the leaf will make them appear green.
Sound recordings of Rhinolophus trifoliatus on BioAcoustica Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Danum Valley Conservation Area | 🇲🇾 Malaysia | |
| 2 | Sepilok | 🇲🇾 Malaysia |
No species of the same family or order lives in Sepilok, so these are its closest relatives here: other mammals.
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Trefoil Horseshoe Bat sighting in Sepilok on a given day, based on 6 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 22nd most-seen of the 23 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 30%, and over a week to about 50%, if each day is a fresh chance.
August
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report a Trefoil Horseshoe Bat in Sepilok on a given day, against under 5% in April–June and November–February, the lowest months.
Between 1 and 4 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Trefoil Horseshoe Bat sightings with a recorded time, and about 7 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is most active around dawn and dusk.
2nd of 2
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Trefoil Horseshoe Bat sightings, Sepilok ranks 2nd at about 10%. The best odds are in Danum Valley Conservation Area (Malaysia, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Trefoil Horseshoe Bat is recorded against all the mammals logged in Sepilok (6 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.
