Kerivoula krauensis
Common name: The Krau Woolly Bat.
Kerivoula krauensis was discovered for the first time in the 1990s in Krau Wildlife Reserve. In 2007 it was officially described and given the name K. krauensis. When “ensis” is added to a name it means that the animal is from, or belongs to that place. So Kerivoula krauensis is the Kerivoula belonging to, or from Krau. So far it has only been found in Krau Wildlife Reserve, so it would be described as endemic to Krau, although there are some recent possible records from Borneo and Sumatra.
Look at the light-brown/golden tips to the fur on the head. This coloring was what made us first suspect that this was a new species as there are no other Kerivoula with golden tips.
Currently the only confirmed locality for Kerivoula krauensis is Krau Wildlife Reserve, so look for the small green dot in the middle of Peninsular Malaysia
Fur: Like all of the Kerivoula or woolly bats, Kerivoula krauensis has long fluffy fur, but this species is readily distinguished from all other Kerivoula because the dark brown fur on the upperparts is tipped with a light-brown to golden color. The underparts are lighter, from buffy-brown to white, although the base of these hairs are dark.
Ear: The ears are large and funnel-shaped, another characteristic of the Kerivoula, and the tragus, inside the ear, is very long and pointed. Unlike the closely-related Phoniscus there is no notch at the base of the tragus.
Nose: The nose is simple
Tail: The tail is very long and the tail membrane large. The bat uses this tail membrane partly to help it brake during flight, but it also acts as a sort of scoop that helps the bat to catch insects. After successfully catching an insect, the bat will duck its head down and grab it from the tail membrane scoop with its mouth.
Wings: The wings are a dark brown, and for their size very broad and rounded, so this species is very manoeuvrable in the forest.
Size: This is a very small species, about the same size as K. intermedia with an average forearm length of 30 mm and average weight of just over 3 g.
Ecology
We know very little about K. krauensis as it has only recently been described. It forages in the understory, and is relatively uncommon.
Where they can be found
So far the only confirmed records are from Krau Wildlife Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia. There are unconfirmed records from Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo) and Sumatra.
